Veiled
by dolly3078
Summary: Dolly and Mark meet under unusual circumstances, but there is more to her than meets the eye.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

The petite brunette ran her fingers through her hair and lazily reached across to switch off her laptop. It was late, eleven o'clock and high time she wasn't working. She had just finished the story and wanted only to go to bed and sleep now. It had been a long day. Her editor had advised her to work from home for a few days after this latest story. The outing of a top officer in the military police was bound to have repercussions, but she had done stories like this before and couldn't see why Anthony was fussing so much over this one. He claimed that the officer had dodgy connections, but in Dolly's experience, most people with something to hide did have. She smiled to herself and stood up, stretching some more. A nice hot bath before she went to bed, she decided. To get her completely relaxed so that she might actually sleep a little; she had had a lot of trouble sleeping lately. A friend at work had suggested she try lavender oil, but at the moment she felt like she'd need a whole field of the stuff to have any effect. She smiled as she sprinkled a few drops of the oil into the bathwater though. Maybe it would help. Slowly, she lowered herself into the steaming water and sighed deeply as the vapours rose around her. Dolly closed her eyes, her mind wandering over the story she had just finished. No, she told herself, sternly, no work. She needed to relax if she was going to sleep. When the insomnia first started her doctor had told her that it was because she worked too late at night and her mind couldn't relax; hence the bath now at this late hour.

As she sank her head down under the water and emerged, dripping wet, she sighed deeply. Time to get out. The water was cooling and it was getting late. Reluctantly, she heaved herself out of the bath and wrapped the towel around herself. She dried herself off and wrapped a white, towelling robe around her, fastening it at her slim waist. She rubbed her hair distractedly with the towel and then headed for her bedroom. The scream barely left her lips as the man leapt at her, placing a large hand over her mouth, muffling her cry. Struggling hard against his grip, she brought her teeth down hard into the flesh of his hand. The man swore, but released her. He placed himself in front of the door, so that she could not escape. He looked at her through the greenest eyes she had ever seen and she shivered.

"Wh… who are you?" she asked, trying to keep her tone even. "And how did you get in here?"

"You don't need to know who I am," he replied. "As for getting in here, it wasn't a problem. You didn't lock your back door."

She cursed and he raised an eyebrow, vaguely amused, despite himself.

"Are you here because of the article I wrote about Simons?" she asked her tone now steady. She still trembled slightly though; he could see her hands shaking.

"You must have realised there would be repercussions for such a slanderous article."

Dolly smiled a tight smile.

"It's only slander if it isn't true," she replied. The man glared at her and she actually flinched just at that to his surprise. He lifted his hand, with the intention of backhanding her, but she gave a cry of fear and suddenly he found he couldn't do it. He dropped his hand and looked at her, closely.

"You frightened?" he asked. Dolly stared at him for a moment and then she laughed.

"A seven foot thug turns up in my bedroom at half past twelve in the evening, with the intention of beating me up and probably raping me and you ask if I'm frightened?"

"I have never raped anyone," he replied, indignantly. Dolly couldn't help herself; she laughed at his tone of voice; he sounded offended.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you," she said, moving herself to the far end of the room. He watched her through narrowed eyes. As Dolly backed up against the wall, pulling her robe closer to her, the man paused. He sighed, suddenly confused. He never usually let his emotions get in the way when he was on a job. It had never phased him before, having a woman as part of his job, but this time it did. Dolly seemed so small and what she had done seemed too insignificant. Dolly watched him warily, like a rabbit caught in headlights and then sat down on the edge of her bed. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at him and then spoke again, quietly. "Your name is Mark, isn't it? You work for Paul Wright?"

Mark stared at her hard. None of his jobs had ever known his name before and none of them had ever known who he worked for. She smiled at his expression.

"It's my job, Mark. I'm an investigative journalist. I've known about Paul Wright for quite some time; probably the real reason he sent you. As for you, well, I used to follow the bike shows, partly for work and partly for pleasure."

"You like bikes?" said Mark, surprised.

"Sure. Well, used to. Actually, it's probably fairer to say I liked the men on the bikes. My ex was a biker, in fact all me exes have been bikers. I remember you from the show. Must admit, I was quite surprised when I found out who you worked for and what you do to people. You did quite a number on Amanda Wright."

"You heard about that?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes. I was sent to investigate it. You covered your tracks pretty well, but unfortunately Amanda recognised you."

"You never printed a story."

"No, turns out my boss owed your boss a favour," she said, wryly. Mark smiled and she realised that he was actually a quite attractive man. "So then, what happens now?"

"I guess you should phone the police," said Mark.

"They'd never be able to hold a case against you," she replied. Mark laughed, knowing that that much was certainly true.

"You certainly like to bath late," he said, suddenly. Her eyes widened slightly and then she smiled.

"I'm something of an insomniac," she replied. "Can't help myself sometimes. Everything I've read about, researched, followed up runs round and round in my head; guess you could say I'm pretty dedicated."

"Dolly, has anything like this ever happened before?" asked Mark, amazed at how calmly she was taking the fact that he was standing here in her bedroom, more or less a stranger, sent to hurt her.

"Naturally in my line of work I get threatened quite a bit," she replied, with a wry smile. "Well, Mark, I'm guessing you changed your mind about the job, so unless you're planning on staying the night, I suggest you find your way out again."

"You inviting me to stay?" asked Mark, raising an eyebrow.

"No," said Dolly, firmly, but with a glint of humour in her eyes. "Maybe next time we could meet in more auspicious circumstances?"

Mark shrugged and turned to leave, but as he closed the back door behind him a wide grin spread across his face.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

"I had a visitor last night." Antony put down the newspaper he had been leafing through and gave Dolly his undivided attention. She sat down on the chair opposite his desk and outlined what had happened the night before.

"Wow," said Antony, when she had finished, running a hand through his short iron-grey hair and looking thoughtful. "He didn't hurt you then?"

"No, he didn't," she replied and smiled. "But thanks for your concern."

"Hey, you knew what you were getting yourself into when we published that story," he replied, with a shrug.

"You've changed your tune," said Dolly, raising an eyebrow. The day before he had been fussing over her like an old woman.

"Well, yesterday you hadn't been threatened by one of Paul Wright's minions and lived to tell the tale. This could be a big story."

Dolly was thoughtful for a moment. Antony didn't speak, allowing her time to collect her thoughts. Her eyes flashed with enthusiasm and she suddenly smiled a brilliant smile.

"He seemed interested," she said, eventually. "I guess I could do a bit of digging, maybe see if I can get him to open up a little."

"Perfect," said Antony. "You know of course that he is a Callaway?"

"So?"

"The Callaway fire was a big story back in the day. And he disappeared the night of the fire. There were never any charges brought against him, or anyone else for that matter, but the parents both died in the fire and his younger brother was left a bit of a mess. He used to wear a mask, I heard. No one really sees or hears much about him now; for a while he was a prize fighter for Paul Wright. I wouldn't be too shocked if he didn't still have some involvement with him and Wright really is a piece of work."

Dolly digested all of this information and felt a thrill of excitement run through her. This really would be a great story, if she could get under Callaway's skin.

"Do you have the paperwork on the original story?" she asked.

"Hmm, caught your interest has it, Ms James?" said Antony, teasingly. Dolly laughed.

"You know me; I like a meaty story to sink my teeth into."

"Well this one has plenty of meat to chew on. But, Deborah, be careful," he said, suddenly sincere.

"I will. You know I always am."

"Don't let him lull you into a false sense of security; Callaway is a dangerous man. You know what he did to Amanda Wright and she's not the first or the last woman he's assaulted in his line of work."

"Yeah, you don't need to remind me; I was nearly his next casualty."

"I'll have the paperwork sent to your desk by this afternoon. For now though, could you get on the phone to Ken Smith? He's been trying to contact you all week."

Dolly rolled her eyes and then nodded. Ken was one of the photographers and had always fancied his chances. Letting him down gently had not had the required effect and so it seemed she would now have to be a bit harsher. This was not good when she knew she would still need to work with him.

She closed the door on Antony's office and headed back to her desk, pulling her laptop out of her bag. Maybe a little Google-related research before she called Ken. She logged on and quickly brought up the search engine, typing in Callaway fire. The articles about the fire were what she had expected; telling a tragic story of a family destroyed by what was suspected to be an arson attack. There was no word of who was responsible though and nothing about Mark, other than he wasn't available for comment. She found a few articles about Kane, the younger sibling, left over from his days as a fighter. There were photographs of an awkward looking teenager in a mask, towering above a shorter stocky man who she recognised as Paul Wright. She grimaced at the expression on his face; a mixture of pride and calculation. Casually, she typed in Mark's name and brought up a picture of him. She leaned back in her chair as she stared at the image. It was from a biker show, about three years ago, when his bike had won a prize. He was smiling in the picture, his green eyes sparkling with pride.

"Very nice," said a voice behind her and Dolly turned with a grin, to Adrian, who was leaning over her to look at the screen.

"Morning, Adrian. Nothing to do but peep at what I'm doing?" she asked.

"Morning, Dolly, nothing to do but ogle handsome men?" he retorted. Dolly laughed. Adrian grinned at her and then headed to his own desk.

"I did a story on him a while back," he said, conversationally. "Well, started to anyway before the plug was pulled on it."

"Who pulled the plug?"

"John Austin," he replied, raising his eyebrows. Austin was the editor-in-chief and it was rare for him to intervene with any stories. Dolly winced at the name, but recovered herself quickly. "Apparently Wright is 'untouchable'".

"Would you still have your notes?" asked Dolly, mulling over what he had said. Adrian grinned.

"Of course. And I might be persuaded to e-mail them all over to you."

"That would be great. So what will persuade you?"

"Cocktails? Friday night after work? Your treat?" said Adrian. Dolly laughed.

"Fine, it's a deal!" she said.

Dolly flicked through the notes that she had printed off and added to the file that Antony had given her. Mark was a fascinating character. He was on the one hand a violent thug, judging by the story Adrian had written which had never been published. But on the other hand, he was an intelligent and creative man. She remembered him vaguely from her days as a biker chick and remembered he had always been polite; treating women with infinite respect. How could someone like that do the things he did?

She sighed and put the notes back in her file, checked her appearance once more in the mirror and then headed for the cocktail bar where she was meeting Adrian.

"No work talk," he warned, linking arms with her. Dolly laughed.

"Deal. Though it could be a quiet night; don't know what I've done lately other than work!"

"Ok, well no work work talk," he conceded. "Tell me what's sparked the sudden interest in Mark Callaway."

"Let me get us a drink and then I'll tell you everything," she replied. Dolly weaved her way through the crowded bar and found Adrian sat at a table. She slid in beside him and handed him his cocktail.

"So, honeybee, tell me what has been happening," said Adrian, taking a long sip from his straw.

"Where to start..." said Dolly, stirring her drink. She smiled across at him and Adrian laughed.

"Come on, don't keep me in suspense! I know it must be big for you to have asked me for my old notes."

Dolly laughed and then began to tell him about Mark breaking into her house, finishing her tale with him stopping before he hurt her.

"It was weird," said Dolly.

"Weird?" repeated Adrian. "Ok, now I know you are insane! Him breaking into your house you can deal with, but him _stopping_ before he hurt you is weird?"

"I know, I know. Anyway, now I just have to find a way to get closer to him so I can get a real story."

"Just be careful, Dolly. Relationships and work don't mix well."

"I have no intention of getting into a relationship, Adrian. I'll get close enough to get a story and then get on with my life."

Adrian raised an eye-brow. He wasn't convinced that Dolly could pull this off; she was a consummate professional but he knew full well that trying to mix business and pleasure didn't work. Especially if you were trying to fake the pleasure side to win on the business side.

"Good luck with it then," he said, sounding decidedly unconvinced. Dolly smiled and drank down her cocktail; she had no doubt that she could keep her work and emotions separate; after all she had been doing it for years.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"Thanks for the tip off," she said, closing her mobile phone. Dolly stopped outside the pub and checked her appearance once in her compact mirror. She had tried to go for casual but attractive, even going to the lengths of having her hair done; something she hadn't gotten around to in a while. Taking a deep breath, she headed into the pub and took a moment to look around. He was easily identifiable, slouched into a booth at the far end of the pub, his back to the door. His head was bent over a pint glass and he looked a world away from the confident, brash man who had barged into her house just days before. She plastered a smile on her face and deliberately crossed the pub to his table.

"Thought I might find you here." Mark looked up from his pint to see Dolly sliding onto the seat opposite him. She dropped her phone onto the table and sighed. "Must admit though, you take some finding."

"What do you want?" asked Mark, scowling at her. Forcing herself to smile at his abrupt tone she pointed at his pint.

"I kind of figured you owe me a drink after the performance the other night," she replied. Mark looked at her and shook his head.

"Are you for real?" he asked.

"Certainly am. Dry white wine please."

Mark got to his feet and slumped over to the bar. Dolly sat down on the opposite side of the booth, from where she could see the door and the bar area. Luckily, for now, the pub was very quiet, only a group of young men sat in a booth at the other end of the bar. She didn't want too many people here in case he caused a scene, but then again, a group of other people made her feel a little safer. Mark returned and slammed her wine glass down on the table. Dolly's heart beat a little faster and she questioned her sanity in starting this. She forced herself to smile at him again though; to act as nonchalant as she possibly could.

"Thanks. So what brings you in here looking so sorry for yourself?" Mark scowled at her over the rim of his glass and took a deep drink.

"No concern of yours. Why are you here?"

"I'm not sure of that myself." She turned the stem of her glass between her fingers, a little nervous suddenly. Maybe a change of subject was in order. "Mark, I remember you from those bike shows. You're a nice guy. I was kind of shocked when you turned up the other night as a paid thug. Do you remember me at all?"

"No," he said, a little more bluntly than was necessary.

"Well I guess I was a red head then or possibly even pink hair at that point. I had more piercings than could be considered normal and I guess I dressed a little less conservatively." She smiled at this and for the first time he looked directly at her. She was wearing a knee length denim skirt and a black gypsy top, revealing a Celtic dragon tattoo on her shoulder. The tattoo caught his attention and he gazed at it. Dolly had dressed carefully; a throwback to her biker chick days, without being too over the top. She wasn't the person she had been then and she didn't want him to think she was. He needed to like the person she was now.

"Nice tat," he said, gesturing at it with his glass. She looked across at him and took in the dark glasses, hiding his eyes.

"Nice glasses," she said, teasingly. "Take them off. I want to see those lovely green eyes of yours." Mark scowled, but then removed the glasses, slowly. Dolly's eyes widened. His face was badly bruised, especially around his eyes.

"Ouch," she said. "You take a bad job?"

"Not quite," he said, replacing his shades. "My brother and I had a slight disagreement."

"Hmm, hate to see what would happen if you two really fell out," she quipped. Mark smiled and then leaned back in his chair. Dolly held her breath as he seemed to suddenly relax a little. Thank goodness, she thought to herself. It wasn't easy making links with someone who was so hostile.

"I do remember you," he said. "You were seeing a guy called Matt. And you didn't go by the name Dolly then either, did you?"

"No, I went by Debbie then. That's what he called me. My family always called me Dolly, but he hated it. Said it reminded him of a toy."

"I don't think I'd have objected to you being my toy," said Mark, softly, gazing at her, picturing her as she had been then, small, pink hair, leather mini skirt. Matt had been to all the races and shows that year, always bringing her with him. She had seemed a little detached from what he recalled, but then if she hadn't really been into the bikes she was probably bored. Dolly blushed to his surprise (and hers) and ducked her head.

"Please, you never even noticed me at all those shows. All you boys talked about were your damned bikes. Tell you as soon as Matt and I split up I never went to another bike show. If I never see another bike it'll be too soon." Her ranting made him grin. She was trying to hide her embarrassment, which he found quite cute.

"I wouldn't go that far, though I must admit, I prefer your natural hair colour to the particular shade of pink it was when I last saw you."

"That surprises me. I'd have thought a punk look would have suited someone like you down to the ground."

"Someone like me?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes behind the shades. Dolly could have bitten her tongue off as he immediately retreated from her, just as she had felt they were making a connection. Desperately, she tried to claw back the easier atmosphere of seconds before.

"Don't sound so offended. I didn't mean it like that," she said. "I just meant bikers tend to like that look in a girl, don't they?"

"Actually, darling, you look just fine to me now." His voice lowered slightly and this time she met his eyes. He lowered his shades to meet her gaze and she saw the beginnings of a smile there. Dolly laughed.

"Are you flirting with me, Callaway?" she asked, teasingly. He grinned a little wider at that.

"Do you want me to?" he murmured and his tone of voice made her blush again.

"Maybe," she said. "Tell you what though..."

"What?" he asked.

"I could use another drink." She waved her empty glass at him. Behind his shades, Mark rolled his eyes and headed for the bar again. Dolly took a moment to regain her composure while he was gone. She needed to keep her business head on, which made her wonder why she had asked for another drink. As her eyes met his across the bar, she flushed again. He was a very attractive man and she could remember those days at the biker shows when she was with Matt, when she had watched Mark more than her boyfriend. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. For a moment, she thought about getting up and leaving, but then Mark was back, placing her glass in her hand, his fingertips brushing her skin. Dolly felt her heart beat quicken a little at his touch and she took a quick swig of her drink.

"So what happened to Matt?" asked Mark.

"Oh, you know, we grew apart. It was never a great love story. I met him through a friend when I was a student and we had fun together. We parted as friends and stayed in touch for a good while after we separated. He's married now, got a little girl. I even went to the wedding. His wife's lovely." Mark raised an eyebrow and she giggled. "It is possible to stay friends with an ex you know."

"So you see a lot of him with his wife and kid?"

"No, not any more. They moved to Germany, believe it or not."

"Germany eh? Maybe just as well; shouldn't think Mrs Matt was keen on the ex being around." Mark continued to gaze across at her and she found herself glancing away, embarrassed.

"What got you into your present line of business then?" she asked, needing to change the mood again. Mark's eyes narrowed behind the shades and she nearly cursed herself, but then he relaxed again.

"Fair question I suppose," he said. "You being what you are, guess it wasn't going to take too long for the real questions to start."

"I don't know what you mean," she said.

"Of course not," he replied. "Well, Ms James, I got into my current line of work because I need an outlet for my emotions, relating to the loss of my parents at such an early age."

His voice was monotone and she realised he was spinning her a line. She smiled and raised a glass to him.

"Touché, Mr Callaway," she said, lightly. Mark smiled.

"Ain't entirely a line, darling," he said.

"No. I'm sorry about your parents," she said, suddenly. He looked across at her quizzically and she smiled. "I may be a journalist, but I'm not heartless, Mark. So... anyone special in your life."

"Just you at the moment," he replied. Dolly blushed again and checked herself. She needed to stop drinking and calm down a bit. This was ridiculous. She was supposed to be working... but work was suddenly a long way from her mind. Without thinking, when he reached across the table to her, she found herself taking his hands and then leaning across the table to kiss him.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Mark arrived back at home an hour later, a little tipsy and more than a little happy about his meeting. He sprawled out on his bed and picked up his mobile phone. Was it too soon to text her?

"Jeez, put your phone down, man," he muttered to himself, but couldn't prevent the wide grin from spreading across his face. Maybe this was what he needed at the moment. Take his mind of his damned brother and Eloise. He sighed deeply. There was no denying that he felt strongly for his brother's girlfriend, but he knew it wasn't lust. That urgent kiss had done nothing for him, just made him feel truly ashamed of himself. He liked Eloise, a lot; cared for her and probably did love her, but he knew that it was more of a brotherly love than anything else. He needed to put things right with her, as soon as he was able, but then his phone beeped. Mark opened it quickly and a smile spread across his face, all thoughts of Eloise gone.

"Hope you don't mind me texting so soon, but just wanted to say I had a really nice time."

Mark read and re-read the message several times. He sighed deeply and then text back.

"Me too. What you doing next week?"

It was a long time before she replied and he found himself panicking that she had changed her mind.

"Thursday is good for me. What do you fancy doing?"

Mark thought for a moment. Thursday he had a job on, but then again it shouldn't take too long. He could see her afterwards. Maybe suggest a meal at a restaurant. He could claim that he needed to book a table later than he wanted to. He should be all done by ten o'clock. He text her back, making the suggestion and was amazed when she agreed. He grinned and then immediately rang the restaurant to book the table.

The job was done quicker than he had anticipated and by half past nine he was sat in the restaurant bar, a bottle of wine in a cooler next to him. He watched the door nervously almost and when it crept up to ten o'clock and there was still no sign of her, he found himself pacing the bar area, his eyes flickering to the door every few minutes. By quarter past he was ready to give up; she still hadn't arrived and he headed for the door, annoyance quickly becoming blind fury. How dare she stand him up?

"Mark?"

He looked across and saw her crossing the road. She was wearing a short red dress and matching stiletto heels, with a cream wrap around her shoulders. Her hair was swept up in a chignon, with stray wisps around her face. She looked stunning and he caught his breath for a moment, but recovered himself quickly.

"You're late," he said, shortly.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I got held up with work and lost track of the time and then I couldn't get a cab. Is it too late to have our meal?"

"I suppose not," he said, his temper beginning to ease a little. He led her back into the restaurant and collected another bottle of wine from the bar. They sat down at their table and Dolly looked through her menu nervously. He noticed that her hands were shaking a little. His eyes narrowed and he looked across at her, concerned. "You ok?"

"Yeah, just been a bit of a hectic day," she replied, but didn't look at him. The waiter came over and took their order and she accepted a glass of wine from Mark, noticeably avoiding touching his hand. "Thanks."

They ate their meal in awkward silence and Mark tapped his fingers on the table, thinking perhaps he had made a mistake. Suddenly Dolly looked directly at him and reached across to touch his hand. He caught her hand without thinking and as soon as he did he felt her trembling again.

"I'm sorry I haven't been much company tonight," she said. "I've had an awful day at work and probably I should have cancelled, rather than put you through all of this."

"So tell me, what has happened to get you in such a state?" he asked. She smiled, a little sadly.

"Where to start?" she murmured. "Well, I started the day off having a blazing row with a colleague whose opinion I usually value a lot and finished it by having another blazing row with my boss, which ended with me walking out the door, telling him I didn't know that I would be coming back."

"Oh," said Mark, unsure what else he could say. She smiled then and met his eyes across the table.

"I need to talk to you before we go any further, Mark and you might not like what I have to say. But I want to do it properly. Are you busy tomorrow? During the day?"

"I guess not," said Mark. He found himself suddenly very on edge. "But I don't see why you can't just tell me now."

"I'd rather wait," she said, a little stiffly.

"Fine. I'll meet you in the bar tomorrow at twelve."

Dolly smiled at him a little sadly. She leaned across and kissed his cheek.

"Sorry for this evening," she said. "And thank you for agreeing to meet with me tomorrow."

Mark sat in the bar, waiting for her to arrive. Unlike the night before though, he didn't have long to wait. She went to the bar and bought her own drink and then headed across to the booth, sliding in across from him. He noticed that her hands were shaking even more than the night before and she was very pale.

"Mark, I need to be totally honest with you," she said. He leaned back in his chair and fixed her with acid green eyes.

"Go ahead," he said, a little coldly. He knew he wasn't going to like what she had to say.

"You know I knew you before you turned up unannounced at my house," she said. He nodded, his eyes never leaving her face. "Well I knew more of you than just the biker stuff. I've been reading up on you, Mark. I know everything about what you get up to. It isn't a career choice I can ever approve of, but I'm not naive enough to say that I would expect you to give anything up for me. I just want you to know that I don't ever need to know about what you do."

"Is that it?" he asked, his tone surprisingly calm.

"No," she murmured. He looked across at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Mark, you should know that I take my work very, very seriously. Hence the late hours and the blazing rows with colleagues and even my boss. You may read things I have written and not be happy with them..." She broke off and met his eyes for the first time. Mark's eyes narrowed to slits.

"I don't want to see any stories about me or the people I care about, Deborah," he said. She shivered slightly at his tone and raised her eyebrows at the name he gave her.

She sighed deeply and then smiled at him, a dazzling smile.

"Good, well I'm glad we got that out of the way."

Mark looked thoroughly confused for a moment, but he gradually started to relax. They chatted some more, changing the subject tactfully from work onto other things and when he came away, he felt confused but happy. They had decided to take things slow; hang out together and have fun without becoming an official couple and it suited him.

Dolly watched him go and ran a hand through her hair. Her phone started to vibrate as soon as she got in the car and she rolled her eyes when she saw it was Adrian.

"You're playing with fire, Dolly. Literally," he said. She listened to him rant for another five minutes, before she interrupted.

"It'll be ok, Adrian. Look I'm sorry about yesterday. You know how I get sometimes."

There was silence for a moment and then she heard him take a deep breath.

"Honeybee, you know I love you, even with your little temper tantrums, but promise me you will be careful, ok? This is the most dangerous assignment you have ever taken on and he really isn't someone to mess with. I don't want you to get hurt."

"'K" she said. She hung up and then sat for a moment, thinking. She had been so close to telling him everything, before her nerve failed her and she changed the subject to his work. The night before she very nearly didn't turn up for their date, already thinking about pulling out. That had been what her row with Antony had been about. He had queried her safety after reading some of Adrian's notes and that had led to a row with Adrian as well. She had been furious with both of them for interfering in her story; but luckily, Antony ignored her tantrum in his office and had acted like nothing happened when she returned to the office that morning.

Her phone beeped and she flipped it open to see Mark's name.

"How about a day out tomorrow, if you're not busy?"

Surprised, she text back immediately that a day out would be lovely.

"I'll pick you up at ten tomorrow morning; I know where you live."

The message sent a shiver down her spine. She liked Mark, but he made her nervous at the same time. She didn't respond to the message and headed for the office, switching her phone off on the way.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

"Did I upset you yesterday?" asked Mark, glancing across at her as he changed gear. Dolly smiled and shook her head.

"What makes you think that?"

"You didn't reply to my text."

"Oh, well I switched my phone off when I got back to the office. You know how it is; work, work, work," she said, breezily. Mark rolled his eyes; he didn't believe her. "So, where are we going today then, big man?"

"I thought we'd go to the lake," he replied. "I have a lodge there, so I can make us a good lunch, after we've been for a walk. As far away from work as possible."

Dolly laughed.

"Sure, why not," she said.

Mark pulled up on the car park by the lake and surprised her by coming round to open her door. She got out of the car and looked down at her boots a little doubtfully.

"I'd have been happier in trainers I think," she said.

"It's ok; there's a proper path round the lake. We don't need to stray from the main path today."

"Hmm, my feet may be pretty sore by the time we've walked round," she said, glancing across at him before adding innocently, "I may need a foot rub when we get back."

"Is that right?" he said, raising an eyebrow. She giggled at the expression on his face and when he held a hand out towards her, she didn't hesitate to take it, despite the warning bells in the back of her mind.

The lake was beautiful and though it was a little overcast, it was fine and the grey sky seemed to bring out the greens and blues of the waterside. Holding hands with Mark felt relaxed, normal; which she hadn't expected. And they talked, a lot. He was careful what he talked about; happy to talk about the bike shows and his current bikes, but he said little about his family and nothing about his work. When she did ask a question he gave a veiled answer or just changed the subject. Clearly she was not going to get any information from him that he didn't want to give.

"So how come you're living with your brother?" she tried. Mark looked down at her and narrowed his eyes a little.

"I need a bit of time off the road," he replied. "Let's just say I'm weighing up my options and home seemed a good place to stop and think."

"Ok," she said.

"What about your family?" he asked, suddenly. Dolly shrugged.

"Nothing to tell," she replied. Mark looked at her quizzically and would have pursued it, but suddenly, Dolly went over on her ankle. Mark yanked on her hand and she cried out in pain. He let go quickly and she fell to the ground, rubbing her ankle.

"Dolly, you ok?" he said, crouching down next to her. Dolly flushed bright red, her pride hurting perhaps more than her ankle or her wrist. She went to get to her feet and yelped with pain. Apparently she had done more damage than she thought. Mark went to take her hand, but she cried out again. "Jeez, where does it hurt, Dolly?"

"My wrist and my ankle," she replied. Mark took hold of her other hand and tried to help her up again, but she couldn't put her foot down. With a sigh, he scooped her up, ignoring her protests.

"I'll get you to the nearest A&E," he said. Dolly slipped her arms around his neck and giggled, despite the pain shooting through her ankle and wrist.

"We aren't doing too well are we?" she said.

"How'd you mean?" he asked.

"Well, we met when you broke into my house, our first date you had been beaten up by your brother, our second date I was stressed and late and our third date we had a deep and meaningful conversation."

"Hmm, makes you wonder if someone's trying to tell us something," said Mark. Dolly looked a little uncomfortable at this and he grinned at her. "We need to keep dating til we manage a good date, with nothing going wrong." She laughed.

"Nice recovery, big man," she said.

They seemed to be hours at casualty, even though, fortunately it wasn't overly busy. The doctor told her she had strained her ankle and wrist and broken her thumb. Both were bandaged and she was given a sling to wear. Mark helped her back to the car and settled her in next to him.

"It's kind of late," he said. She glanced across at him.

"Yes," she said, wondering what he was getting at.

"Well, the lodge is closer than home. There are two bedrooms..."

"Sure," she said, much to his surprise. "But can you loan me a toothbrush?"

"I'll stop at the chemist, pick up some bits," he replied, struggling to hide the huge grin which was spreading across his face. He couldn't believe she had so readily agreed to stay with him. Nor could he quite understand why he was so pleased.

Back at the lodge, he handed her a glass of wine while he sorted out the Chinese he had picked up on the way home. As they both tucked in he glanced at her sling. She had ordered special fried rice, knowing that that way she wouldn't have anything to cut up and could eat with one hand.

"I'm sorry about the thumb and your wrist," he said, pointing his fork at her arm. She smiled across at him.

"Not your fault," she said.

"Well, if I hadn't tried to hold on to you, it would have just been a sprained ankle," he pointed out. She laughed.

"Never mind that. If you'd told me where we were going, I'd have worn trainers."

"Well, least you won't be asking me for that foot rub now," he said, with a laugh.

"No," she said, with a grimace. "I don't want anyone anywhere near my ankle."

Mark's phone rang and he took it out of his pocket, looking down and rolling his eyes when he saw who it was.

"Paul, hi," he said. Her ears pricked up and he seemed aware of it, as he got to his feet and went through to his bedroom, pushing the door closed behind him. Dolly put her plate down and sighed deeply. Her own phone beeped and she picked it up, scowling when she saw who the message was from. She deleted it without reading it. She had no wish to hear from that particular person at all.

"Work?" she asked, as Mark appeared back in the doorway.

"Nothing for you to worry about," he said, a little stiffly.

"Fine," she replied, not liking his tone of voice at all. He sighed and then came and sat beside her.

"I just got some bad news," he said. "My brother's girlfriend had a lot of trouble with a guy and I just found out he's back in the country."

"Don't see how that would be a problem for you or your brother," she said, mildly, though her meaning was clear. Mark laughed, a small, bitter laugh.

"If he weren't Paul's nephew it wouldn't be a problem at all."

"I see. What's his name?" she asked, a little too casually. Mark raised an eyebrow.

"Sure I told you I don't want to see any stories about the people I care about," he said. She flushed at his tone of voice.

"Mark, I was making conversation," she said. "Anyway, you brought it up, not me."

"How's the ankle?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject. She was silent for a moment, looking across at him.

"I think I'll go to bed now," she said, coldly. Mark looked at her and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, Doll," he said, softly. "Just what Rico did gets me all burnt up. I like Eloise, a lot. She's been fantastic for my brother and the idea of someone hurting her..."

"I understand that," she said, though she felt something akin to jealousy listening to him talk about his brother's girlfriend.

"Guess it's frustrating not being able to do anything about that bastard. I didn't mean to take it out on you, darling."

"It's ok," she said. "Forget it. Look, Mark, I really am tired. I'll see you in the morning."

She went to struggle to her feet, but he stopped her, crossing the room and lifting her up into his arms again as he had when she fell.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't see you hobbling about, darling. Thought I might tuck you in?" There was a mischievous smile on his face and she laughed.

"Well, you'll have to carry me to the bathroom first, because I need to clean my teeth," she said. Mark waited outside the door for her and when she emerged, wearing one of his t-shirts and a dressing gown, he leaned towards her and kissed her, tenderly. He picked her up and carried her through to her bedroom.

"I could get used to this," she said, softly. He smiled.

"I hope you do," he said, kissing her again. "Good night, darling."

"Good night," she replied, snuggling down under the covers. But as soon as he closed the door on her, Dolly took her phone from the bedside table and opened up Word. She typed in a few notes and then sighed, feeling a stab of guilt as she closed it.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

"Oh my God, what happened to you?" cried Adrian, as soon as she appeared at work. She was limping and her arm was still in a sling. Adrian narrowed his eyes. "Ape man?"

"If you mean Mark, yes and no," said Dolly, with a small smile.

"You have to tell me everything, now," he said, grabbing her other arm and pulling her over to her desk. Dolly sat down and looked up at him. His eyes were alight with concern and more than a little curiosity.

Dolly told him about their walk around the lake, slapping his arm when he rolled his eyes as she described the boots she had been wearing. She giggled when she had finished.

"I'm glad he didn't hurt you," said Adrian, after a long silence when she had finished. His eyes searched her face. "But I am a little concerned that you are in too deep with this one, Doll. A weekend away already?"

"You know the score on this one, Adrian. The sooner I can get the story I need the better, so if the 'relationship' heats up quickly I can get out quickly."

"Aren't you worried about what he might do when he finds out what you're up to?"

Dolly was silent, thinking about Mark's tone of voice when he warned her not to write anything about him or those he loved and she gave an involuntary shiver, which Adrian picked up on immediately.

"It's not too late to pull out, you know," he said. She smiled at him and shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine. You know me; stubborn to the end."

"Fine, but..."

"I know, I know," she said, holding up her hands. "Be careful."

"Hey, didn't expect to see you here."

Dolly turned sharply and found herself facing a broad, muscular chest. She gasped and then looked up to see Mark grinning down at her. He removed his shades and then leant down to brush her lips with his.

"Hi, Mark. What you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm sure you can guess that much," he replied. "But since when has a gym opening been of interest to an investigative journalist?"

Dolly felt her cheeks redden and bowed her head. Why did he always have this effect on her?

"Can't always be a big story," she said, breezily. "Boss wanted a story doing on the gym and picked me because he figured I'm not up to much else at the moment." She waved a hand at her wrist, still bandaged but thankfully no longer in a sling. "And he even paid for the taxi!" She smiled brightly at him, willing him to believe her.

"Want me to introduce you to the owner?" he said, after a moment's silence. Dolly's eyes widened.

"Really?" she said.

"Sure. He'll be pleased to have some positive coverage for his gym." Mark took her hand and led her through the crowd of people gathered to a stocky man with jet black hair who was standing near the doorway with a shorter man.

"Mark, my boy! How wonderful that you made it! And who is this?"

"Hey Paul, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. You know that. And this is Dolly, my girlfriend."

She felt her heart skip a beat when he called her his girlfriend and forced herself to smile at Paul.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Wright," she said, politely, extending her hand. Paul took it and shook hands, but his gaze went to Mark, questioningly.

"She's a journalist. Wants to do a story on the gym. Could you give her an exclusive?" said Mark. Paul's eyes narrowed slightly but then he smiled at her, warmly.

"Of course, my dear, of course. It would be my pleasure. Come on through to my office. We can have a drink and a chat. Always a pleasure to meet a friend of Mark's."

"I'll wait here for you," said Mark, watching as Paul led Dolly away. He had seen the look of trepidation on her face before she followed one of the most dangerous men in the country and he half-smiled.

"It's really good of you to speak to me, Mr Wright," she said. "I know how you feel about journalists."

"Not at all, my dear, not at all," said Paul. "Have a seat."

She sat down in the chair he indicated and watched as he moved around the desk to sit in a large leather chair and then leaned forwards, resting his chin on his hands. Her heart was beating hard and she admitted that he made her very nervous, especially now they were alone.

"So, what do you want to know?" he asked.

"Oh not much, just a statement about the gym opening and what you hope for it in the future," she babbled, ill prepared for an actual interview with him; the opening of the gym being the last thing on her mind.

"Tell me, Miss James, what do you really want to know?" he said, his eyes narrowing.

"I don't understand you," she said, her eyes flitting to the door.

"I'm not an idiot, my dear and quite frankly, I know damn well that you are not the type of journalist to do stories on gym openings. You should know that Mark is like a son to me and if you have it in your head to do anything that might hurt him or upset him... well let's just say that you will find that you get hurt a lot more if you catch my meaning."

"I hear you loud and clear," she said, with a confidence she didn't feel. "But you are wrong. I am here to cover the gym opening and I had no intention of speaking directly to you. This was to be a community piece and I am doing it because of my current injury. My boss thought this would be an easier assignment for me."

"I note that you have said nothing about the possibility of hurting my boy." Paul leant forward, his eyes meeting hers. Dolly shrugged.

"I can't make any promises, Mr Wright. After all, relationships are not always easy and generally at least one person gets hurt at some point or another and it's still early days for Mark and I."

"Honesty is a good trait to have. Now I will give you my statement."

Dolly took her Dictaphone from her bag and conducted her interview, relieved to be talking about work again, rather than hearing his threats relating to Mark. She knew for a fact that Pail Wright's threats were not empty and her stomach was chilled at the thought of it.

When they emerged, Mark flung a casual arm round her shoulders.

"Get everything you needed, Doll?" he said. She glanced up at his tone of voice. He smiled at her though and she dismissed the niggle of doubt in her stomach.

"Yes, thanks for setting that up," she said. Mark kissed the top of her head.

"No problems. So Paul was cooperative then?"

"Of course," she said, lightly, though he saw that she was a little paler when she came out from the office. He squeezed her once and then released her.

"What time you finish work today?"

"Oh, I don't know. I've got a bit of paperwork to do," she said. "But tomorrow is a lighter day, if you fancy doing something?"

"Sure, darling. I'll see you tomorrow then." He kissed her and then sauntered back into the gym. Dolly bit her lip as she watched him go. She knew that she was beginning to lose her resolve and Paul's threats had certainly added to her feelings of doubt about her relationship with Mark.

That night, sitting in her living room with her laptop open in front of her, reading through all the notes she had put together so far, Dolly sighed deeply. She had drunk four or five cups of coffee that evening and knew it was going to be hard work sleeping. The day's events had given her a lot to think about.

Suddenly her phone rang. She picked it up and glanced at the caller ID then grimaced. She knew she couldn't ignore him again.

"Deborah," said the voice on the end of the phone.

"Hello," she breathed, when she found her voice.

"I believe you have started a new assignment. I am pleased with your choice."

"Really?" she said, a touch of surprise in her tone. She almost heard the smile at the other end of the phone.

"But of course. This is a big story. I just hope you can handle it."

"I'll do my best."

"See to it that you do. I have a personal interest in this story, Deborah and I will be very displeased if it goes wrong. Is that clear?"

"Yes," she murmured.

"Good. I will expect to see you in London in two weeks time, with all the details of this story."

"You want to see me personally?" she said, a little stunned.

"Is that a problem?" She pictured the raised eyebrow, the quirk of displeasure at being questioned.

"Of course not. I'll be there."

"Good." The line went dead.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," she muttered, after closing her phone. She took a deep breath; she could have really done without a London meeting.

"Hey, you okay?" Mark looked across at her, concerned. She was still in her dressing gown, her hair a tangle of messy curls and unusually, looking for all the world like she had just got out of bed. It was nearly midday and he realised he had never seen her like this. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and yawned.

"Sure. I just overslept," she replied, stretching and then groaning.

"You're very pale, Doll," said Mark, his eyes narrowing when he took in her heavily shadowed eyes and white face. She smiled across at him.

"Well, late nights will do that for you," she replied, nonchalantly.

"How late?" he queried.

"Erm... think it was fourish when I last checked the time," she replied.

"Four!" he exclaimed. "Jeez, Doll, what were you doing til four in the morning?"

"Just catching up on some paperwork," she replied, with a shrug. Mark narrowed his eyes, a little frustrated with her casual attitude.

"You need to start looking after yourself," he said. "You'll make yourself ill."

"Thanks for the concern, big man," she replied. She glanced across at him, seeing scratch marks on his cheek. "So, you were busy last night yourself then?"

"A little," he replied, evasively. "You know I don't like to talk work."

She heard the note of warning in his tone and sighed.

"Sure, Mark, because obviously as soon as you tell me something, I have to write it down." She tried to keep her tone light, but then realised what she had said was a little closer to the truth than she liked. "I guess I'll take a shower if you don't mind waiting."

"Sure, I'll make coffee," he said.

"Oooh, domesticated Callaway, I like it," she said, with a grin.

He grunted in response and watched as she headed up the stairs. Mark sighed when she was gone, wondering what on earth she could have been working on until so late. He picked up her phone and toyed for a moment, then opened it up, feeling a twinge of guilt as he went into her last calls. His eyes widened slightly at the name he saw, but he closed her phone quickly. She had left her laptop switched on and he went over and looked at her files, but nothing stood out. Her most recent documents had been erased and he narrowed his eyes, wondering why it was she always covered her tracks so closely. She was closed, suspicious almost whenever he mentioned her work, but then he had to admit he was as bad. They seemed to have no trust and he knew enough about relationships to know that if he wanted this to go anywhere they needed to trust each other. He liked her, a lot, despite his initial act of this just being casual. She was funny, sweet and most of all intelligent. And she wasn't intimidated by him. He had been with women who seemed to flinch every time he raised his voice and he hated that; it made him feel like a monster. Naturally those relationships had fizzled out very quickly. Dolly gave as good as she got, never backing down from him. He liked that. Suddenly the shower went off and he heard her shout from upstairs.

"I don't smell coffee down there!"

He grinned and got up to make their coffee, as she suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs, wrapped in one towel, another round her head like a turban.

"Wow, nice outfit," he said.

"Well, I got a hot date," she replied, with a giggle. Mark laughed and leaned towards her to kiss her.

"Go get dressed," he said.

"I will, after coffee," she replied, sitting down at the table. Mark handed her a steaming mug and sat down opposite her. She seemed thoughtful as she was sipping and unusually quiet.

"Ok?" asked Mark. She looked across at him and smiled.

"I have to go away in a couple of weeks. I have an appointment in London."

"Right," said Mark. "Want me to come with you?" He added this casually. She looked across at him and smiled widely for a moment but then shook her head.

"No, it's ok. I'd better go alone. I have to do some work stuff; you'd be bored. But thanks for the offer."

"Fine. But you will call me when you get there and let me know you arrived safely?" he said.

"Of course." She smiled again and took another sip of her coffee. In her head she was cursing herself for not asking him to go with her. But then again if he wasn't there perhaps it would strengthen her resolve. He suddenly reached across and placed a hand over hers.

"I'll miss you, darling," he said, suddenly. She looked up and met his green eyes and he was surprised to see that hers were glistening, as if she might cry, but then she pushed her chair back and forced a laugh.

"I'd better get dressed." She disappeared quickly and left Mark wondering what the hell had just happened.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Dolly hesitated in front of the door. She was nervous, more so than she had been in a very long time. Her hands were actually shaking as she gripped the file she held; the portfolio of information she had so far. Half of her wanted to turn and run from that door, take the notes and photographs in the file and burn them. The other part of her was so desperate for the approval that would meet this work that it pushed her forwards.

"You can go in now, Ms James." The secretary's voice broke her reverie. Dolly tried to quell her nerves. She managed to smile brightly and thank the secretary and then push the door open.

"Deborah. Sit down." The voice from behind the desk did little to help her nerves. As usual the tone of voice was frosty and filled with disapproval. But the hand that took the portfolio from her was almost eager. She watched as those cold, blue eyes flicked through her notes and saw interest there. "Very good. I will expect the story by the end of next week." The file was handed back to her.

"But... I... I thought I might have more time than that," she stammered, hating herself for revealing how uncomfortable she felt. The eyes narrowed.

"I decide on time constraints, not you. If you have forgotten that, I can arrange for a reminder." The tone of voice was almost casual, but she whitened at it and shook her head.

"No, it isn't that, it's just that... well, I was wondering if it's even worth doing the story?" Her voice faded, as she raised her eyes to look at the person sitting behind the desk. She winced at the expression there.

"You know there is a story there and you know that it will interest a lot of people. Are you losing your nerve, Deborah?"

She was silent for a moment, picturing Mark in her head. She knew, without doubt, that she was falling for him and she knew that any story she published would mean the end of their relationship and after her chat with Paul possibly even the end of her life. But then again, she knew that not publishing a story would also have major repercussions.

"Not exactly my nerve, no, but this story could destroy lives..."

"I've told you what I expect. That should be the end of this conversation. Now, I am very busy."

She closed the door firmly behind her, resisting the urge to slam it like a petulant child. She glanced down at the portfolio and her mind filled again with the possibility of just destroying all the notes. Maybe she could claim her laptop was bust and she hadn't backed up. As if on cue her phone rang.

"Hey, Doll, lovely to hear that you arrived safe."

Heading down the stairs as quickly as possible she couldn't help but smile.

"Sorry, Mark. I got here a little late. I needed to go straight to my meeting, then I was going to call you."

"Meeting go ok?" he asked.

"Not really," she replied, honestly. There was a pause and then she spoke quickly, before she lost her nerve. "Mark, I've been working on a big story, but I'm pulling the plug on it."

There was silence at the other end of the phone and she knew he was working out what was behind her words.

"We'll talk when you're home," he said, eventually.

"Ok," she said. He hung up, without another word and Dolly felt tears stinging her eyes. Things were going to get a lot worse before they got better though.

Back in the office, cold, blue eyes were watching a monitor closely. A hand reached out to the volume and her phone call was closely monitored, leading to an explosion of anger that was heard outside of the office.

"You ok, bro?" Kane glanced across at his brother, who had been pacing the kitchen for the past ten minutes. Mark looked across at him and half smiled.

"Fine. Dolly's away, gone to London," he said.

"Right. Missing her?"

"Yeah," said Mark. "Least I was. Just had a weird conversation with her. She said something about a big story she's pulling the plug on. Doesn't take a genius to work it out, does it?"

Kane looked at him thoughtfully.

"But she's definitely pulling the plug?"

"She will if she knows what's good for her," muttered Mark. Kane raised an eyebrow.

"It must be a big thing for an investigative journalist who has been working on a story for two months to pull out of it just like that," he said. "She must really like you."

Mark thought about this for a moment. He was angry, but it wasn't a burning anger like he expected to feel. Maybe because in the back of his mind he had known from day one that something like this might happen. She was after all a career girl and he knew that he was an interesting character for a story. There was his family history, his current career choice and of course his relationship with Paul. He smiled bitterly; he was the perfect choice for a career move.

"Problem is, bro, I really like her too," he said. "But how can I trust her if she's been writing a story on me? What would you do?"

"Depends on how much she means to you," replied Kane. He handed Mark a bottle of beer and led the way back to the living room, where he sat down beside Eloise, putting an arm round her shoulders.

Mark considered this and then sighed deeply. He would wait until he had spoken to her, face to face before he made any decisions.

The notes were burning in the fire and she had removed every trace of her research from her laptop as soon as she got back to the hotel. It seemed insane that after being threatened she had made the decision that she had been putting off for weeks. But she felt nothing but relief once it was done. She had phoned Antony and told him that unfortunately she had lost all the files and would have to put a stop to the story. He had seemed relieved more than anything. She text Adrian to tell him that she had made a big decision and as was to be expected, he rang her immediately.

"God, I am so glad!" he cried. "I mean careers are important, but putting your life in danger is not a good plan, honeybee! So what changed your mind?"

"Well, I was having doubts anyway, but when I got here I realised I just can't do it to him. I think I'm falling for him."

"You think?" Adrian laughed. "Girl, I knew you had it bad when you got back from that lake. Honestly, there will be other stories. And everything's ok down there?"

"Of course," she lied. There was a knock on the door. "Oh, hang on Adrian. Room service just arrived."

Adrian leaned back in his chair and smiled. He heard her answer the door and then sat up sharply at the sound of a scream on the end of the phone, before he was cut off.

"Mark Callaway?" The man who Jacob had led into the lounge was looking at him closely. Mark nodded.

"Do I know you?" he said.

"My name is Adrian, Adrian Langlo. I'm a friend of Dolly's."

"Right. Well I told her I'd talk to her when she gets home," said Mark, turning away from Adrian.

"Do you know what the hotel is called where she is staying in London?" asked Adrian.

"Maybe," replied Mark, evasively. Adrian bit back an angry retort.

"Well, if you could just give it to me, I'll leave you in peace."

"The Crown. It's new," replied Mark.

Adrian didn't reply, but immediately took out his phone. He rang direct enquiries and was put through.

"Could you confirm if you have a guest called Deborah James staying there?" he said. "Could you put me through to her room? It is urgent."

Mark listened. He could hear the woman on the other end of the phone quite clearly as she said she was putting him through.

"Come on, come on," muttered Adrian, as the phone seemed to ring and ring.

"You tried her mobile?" asked Mark, wondering what could possibly be so urgent.

Adrian shook his head and was about to reply when he heard a click on the other end of the phone.

"Dolly?" he said. "Dolly, are you ok?"

"A... Adrian?" Her voice sounded far away. "C..can't talk."

"Are you hurt?"

Mark's ears pricked up at this and he crossed the room, swiftly, taking Adrian's phone from him before the smaller man could protest.

"Doll? What's going on?"

"Mark," she breathed. Her voice sounded distorted and her breath was coming in short gasps. It took him a moment to realise she was crying. "Th... they took everything. Please."

"Doll, you're not making any sense, darling. Are you hurt?" he said.

"Hurt," she replied, softly. Then the phone clicked as if she had hung up.

Mark handed Adrian back his phone and then rubbed his face.

"You know where her hotel is?" he asked.

"Of course," said Adrian. "Well, I have sat nav at any rate."

"Good. You got plenty of fuel?"

"Well yes, but..."

"Come on then. You'll have to drive us there. I've had a drink."

"Can't you go any faster," grumbled Mark, moving around, trying to get comfortable in what felt like the smallest car in the world. Adrian drove an Audi convertible and Mark had struggled to get in, much less get comfortable. Adrian scowled.

"I am going as fast as it is safe to go," he replied. "If we get arrested along the way we aren't going to be of much use, are we?"

Mark muttered something under his breath but then fell silent, trying Dolly's mobile number again. She hadn't responded at all and he was growing increasingly concerned for her safety.

"Only another twenty minutes," said Adrian. Mark bit back an angry retort that they would have been there quicker if he had driven and stared at the map on the sat nav intently, willing the miles away.

Finally they arrived and went to the reception area. Mark went to storm over, but Adrian stopped him.

"Allow me. If you go storming over there is no way we will be given her room number." He walked casually over to the reception desk. "Good evening, ma'am. I wonder if you could help me. I have a friend staying here, Deborah James. I rang earlier and spoke with her. She had forgotten to bring her bag with her." He waved a briefcase at the woman and smiled. "Could I take it up to her?"

Mark listened, rolling his eyes. The receptionist smiled at Adrian warmly and gave him the room number. The lift seemed to take an eternity and as Mark stood beside him, muttering under his breath, Adrian kept smiling at the receptionist, hoping she would ignore his companion.

"Dolly? Dolly?" called Mark, as he banged on the door. There was no response from within and he was about to kick the door in when suddenly it opened a little. Mark barged in ahead of Adrian, who followed and closed the door behind him. Dolly was curled up in a chair, her back to them. Mark crossed the room swiftly and then stopped directly in front of her. He knelt down in front of the chair and looked up at her face. She seemed ok, just looked dazed. Adrian surveyed the room. There were signs of a struggle, things had been thrown around, furniture knocked over and a glass broken on the floor. Then he saw the needle on the floor, close to where Dolly was sitting.

"Dolly, what did they inject you with," he asked. Mark looked up and swore under his breath.

She seemed oblivious to what they said and when Adrian crossed the room to look at her, he noticed that her eyes were wider than usual. She looked up at him and giggled.

"Adrian," she murmured. Mark stood up and started to pace the room. Adrian took his place and grabbed Dolly's hands.

"Dolly, I need you to think. Tell me what happened to you," he said. She smiled at him.

"I'm calling the police," said Mark.

"No!" she cried, suddenly getting up and flinging herself at him. She held him tightly. "No police." Mark went to take hold of her upper arm, but she gasped with pain. He narrowed his eyes and rolled her sleeves up, revealing a bruise that looked to be where someone had held her, with another close by that was clearly from the needle.

"Hospital then," said Mark. "Get you checked over."

"No..." Her voice faded and she sat down again in the chair. "Adrian, my arms hurt."

"I'm sure they do, honeybee. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Daddy is angry," she replied. Mark raised an eyebrow at this and looked at Adrian questioningly, but Adrian just shrugged.

"Honeybee, your daddy has been gone a long time," he said. He knew that Dolly's father had died when she was eight.

"Not that one, silly," she said and giggled.

"She sounds drunk," said Mark. Dolly rested her head on the back of the chair.

"Everything heavy," she muttered. She closed her eyes again and Adrian sighed. She was unconscious within seconds.

"Who did this to her, Adrian?" asked Mark, stroking the hair back from Dolly's face, tenderly.

"Well, you know how it is in our line of work..." he said, lamely. Mark looked across at him.

"I know she was doing a big story," he said.

"Oh."

"And I've got a good idea that the story was about me," he continued.

"Right," said Adrian. "Well, she told me that she was pulling the plug on it because she cared about you too much to run it. It seemed a bit weird that the boss would agree, but she said he was more than happy. Whatever, it would seem that somebody isn't overly enthused that the story has been cancelled. She has destroyed all her notes and the files on her laptop. Clearly she is very serious about you. I've never known her do this before."

Mark continued stroking her hair, gently and then stood up.

"When I find out who did this..." He stopped and Adrian smiled at him, a little grimly.

"I know how you feel, but really, if we want to help her, we would be better staying calm," he said. Mark sighed and then sat down beside Dolly again. He knew that Adrian was right.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

"I don't understand it, Paul," said Mark, leaning back in the chair opposite and watching as Paul stabbed his fork into the pasta and took another bite. He chewed and then glanced across at his protégée.

"Son, I did warn you that she was trouble," he said. Mark laughed at this, somewhat bitterly.

"Yeah, but look what she did. She put herself in danger by destroying everything she had on me. But now she won't even take my calls. I don't get it."

"She's a woman," said Paul, with a shrug. He replaced his knife and fork and picked up his napkin, dabbing at his mouth, then sighing. "Maybe she just needs a little time, Mark. She's been through a pretty traumatic experience."

"Did you find out who was responsible?"

"That is the puzzling thing, my boy. Someone who is as good at covering their tracks as I am. Highly unusual. I don't know what to say really."

Mark sighed and looked thoughtful.

"What do you know about John Austin?" he asked, suddenly.

"Editor in chief for a number of newspapers and all round difficult man to please, something of an asshole," said Paul. "And no, he didn't have anything to do with the attack on Ms James. At the time of the attack he was at the airport, waiting for a plane to New York. He had checked in."

Mark sighed again and then got up.

"I'd best be getting on. As you know, I've got a job tonight."

"Yes, dear boy. Well thank you for the dinner. Try to have a pleasant evening." He smiled and watched as Mark disappeared through the door.

Mark pulled his gloves on and sighed deeply, raising his hands to put the hood over his head, hiding most of his face like a modern day grim reaper. He almost smiled at the irony and then strode across the car park to the office block. It was in darkness bar one light near the top. And he knew the office that light belonged to. He let himself into the building without too much trouble and managed to get across to the lift when the elderly security guard was heading across to the kitchen area for his drink.

The lift doors opened and he walked stealthily and silently across to the office door, pushing it open. The person was standing with their back to him, looking out of the window. He saw the man in front of him stiffen, obviously aware of his presence as he closed the door firmly behind him and locked it.

Dolly sighed. She had been standing at the window for nearly an hour now, silently staring out at the garden. Somehow she couldn't get the will to move away and get on with anything. Antony had agreed to her having some leave after what had happened in London and she had switched off her mobile phone, a new one, and shut down the new laptop that work had purchased for her to be completely alone and presumably at peace. Except there was no shutting her mind down. The incident had actually frightened her, a lot more so even than Mark appearing in her house that night that seemed a lifetime ago. She wished suddenly that she had never met him, then none of this would have happened and she would still be at work, getting on with her life. Antony had asked her to stay away for at least two weeks; her doctor when she saw him had said six weeks due to emotional exhaustion. She took the six weeks option, almost gratefully. And for the last two weeks she had not seen or heard anything from Mark. At first he had tried calling, even turning up at the office. That was when she had requested leave of absence. Because whatever had happened between them, she couldn't forgive herself for what she had nearly done and she couldn't forgive him for seeing her at her weakest. Trembling, she reached up to wipe a single angry tear from her cheek. She was Deborah James, she did not cry!

She tore herself away from the window and went across to the settee, curling up and switching the television on. Usual soap operas, she thought. Ah well, maybe better than sitting here with her thoughts. She allowed herself to get lost in the acted out dramas before her and tried her best to forget her own dramas.

It happened so suddenly that she didn't have time to move. The power suddenly cut out and the whole house was plunged into darkness. She couldn't help the squeak of fear, as she got to her feet and fumbled about in the drawers for a flashlight. She swung the beam around gratefully when it finally came on and hastily switched on her mobile phone, trying to ignore the stream of beeps as about fifteen text messages came through.

"I have a message for you." The voice, so cold and deep frightened her nearly out of her wits and she dropped her phone.

"Who is that? How did you get in here?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter who I am. Daddy is very, very displeased. You have been a naughty girl, Deborah." The voice was sardonic and she heard the leer that she couldn't see.

"Who is that?" she asked, again, but was greeted with silence until the sound of her front door slamming shut. She took a deep breath and then grabbed her handbag and fled from the house.

"Dolly, you know you can stay as long as you want to," said Adrian, softly. He handed her a shot of whiskey. "Go on, drink it; it'll steady your nerves."

She took a sip and grimaced. Adrian smiled and squeezed her hand.

"You sure it wasn't ape man then?" he said. She smiled across at him and shook her head.

"No. I know who it was I think."

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"God, I don't know what to do," she murmured, taking another sip of her drink.

"You know what I think? Ape man is not my favourite person in the world but he does care about you and he is probably much better equipped to protect you if it is who I think you are suggesting."

"Yes, but..."

"Doll, he cares for you. I mean he dropped everything to get to London immediately when he thought you were in trouble."

"Maybe," she said. "But I don't want him to take me back as his damsel in distress."

"Then don't tell him," suggested Adrian. "Just talk to him." He held the phone out to her and reluctantly, Dolly took it from him.

"Hey," she said, when he answered. There was a moment of silence at the other end and she thought he had hung up.

"Hey, stranger." His tone was flat and she couldn't tell if he was pleased she called or not.

"Could we maybe meet up?" she said. Another silence.

"When?"

"Anytime you want," she replied.

"Half an hour. Usual place." He hung up before she could object. Dolly rolled her eyes; typical of him. She swore under her breath and gathered together her bag, explaining to Adrian that she was going out. Adrian grinned.

"Say hi to Ape Man for me," he said.

"Don't call him that; you'll have me saying it," she said. Adrian laughed, picturing Mark's face if Dolly suddenly called him Ape Man.

Dolly phoned for a cab and waited anxiously for it to arrive, pacing up and down in front of the window.

"What are you going to say to him?" asked Adrian.

"I don't know. Guess I should apologise for not speaking to him the last few weeks. Maybe explain that I felt guilty about what I nearly did. Pray he doesn't just kill me..." She smiled across at Adrian, who grimaced back.

"Don't even joke about it. Look, call me or text as soon as you get there and at regular intervals after that, ok? Just so I know you're alright."

"Fine," she said, opening the door as the taxi pulled up.

"Be careful, honeybee," he said, giving her a quick hug. Dolly climbed into the cab and settled back in her seat, resisting the urge to chew her nails as they went the short distance to the pub. Once she arrived and had settled with the driver, she took a few deep breaths and then headed inside. He hadn't arrived and she was almost relieved; it meant she could have a few gulps of wine to settle her nerves. She bought a drink and took it to a booth, where she could collect her thoughts. Her heart rate quickened as he suddenly appeared in the doorway. He clocked her and she saw a sort of half smile on his face, but then he headed for the bar to buy his drink. As he settled into the chair opposite her, Dolly felt herself leaning slightly back, crossing her legs and wrapping her hands round her wine glass.

"So what can I do for you?" he asked, when it became apparent she was not going to break the silence. When she looked up at him, Mark was surprised to see tears glistening in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"What for?"

"I'm sorry for what I was going to do... for planning to write a story about you even when I knew you. And I'm sorry you had to rush to London like that. And I'm sorry that I ignored your calls and wouldn't see you..." she broke off as the words tumbled from her lips, tears suddenly seeping down her cheeks.

Mark took a long swig of his bottle and regarded her steadily. Her eyes had dropped to her lap and the tears carried on falling; he had never seen her so vulnerable.

"I shouldn't have called you," she said, suddenly and went to get to her feet, but Mark stopped her, placing a hand over top of hers.

"Dolly, sit down," he said, softly. "You wanted to talk, let's talk. I have a few things I want to say to you."

She glanced across at him and brought a trembling hand to her eyes, wiping away some of her tears.

"I told you from day one I didn't want to see any stories about me or the people I love," he said. She flushed red at this and swallowed a lump of fear that rose suddenly in her throat. "But, whatever you had planned, you didn't do it. You pulled the plug on your story and I know that is why your things were taken in London. As for me rushing there, how could I not? Dolly, I care about you and the thought of you being hurt... well, I wanted to protect you."

She smiled at that and Mark squeezed her hand, then attempted to look stern.

"You are in trouble for not being in contact though. I reckon there will need to be some making up on your part."

"I really am sorry, Mark," she murmured.

"I know, darling," he replied.

"It won't happen again," she said. Mark smiled at her and took her other hand as well, then leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

"I'll make sure of that," he said.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

"Oh God, Mark, is she ok?" Dolly couldn't keep the shock from her voice as she listened to him describe what had happened to his brother's girlfriend. "Are you ok?"

"She's in a bad way," said Mark. "I'm at the hospital now. Kane's inside. I don't think they'll persuade him to come away before she can. She's been badly beaten. I've never seen anything like it..."

He broke off and she knew he was thinking about some of the things he had done.

"To say he claims to love her that's awful," she said, filling the silence.

"I don't know when I'll get away," said Mark.

"Don't worry, I understand. Just give me a call when you can. And give Eloise and Kane my best wishes."

"Sure, thanks, Dolly."

She hung up the phone and sighed. At one time all she would have thought about was what a good story it would make, but for now she had other things on her mind; other people.

Dolly had waited outside the court room, as she had arrived late and saw a petite brunette coming out, supported by a police officer; that must be Eloise she thought. She hurried over.

"Hey, I'm Dolly," she said, as soon as the officer was gone. "Mark's girlfriend." Eloise managed a small smile.

"It's good to finally meet you," she said.

"Likewise, though I wish we weren't here. How are you feeling?"

"Glad that this is nearly over," she replied, with a grimace.

"I'll bet," said Dolly. She smiled and then jumped as a voice roared down the corridor,

"Leave her alone!" Eloise raised a hand though.

"It's fine, Kane, honestly. This is Dolly, Mark's girlfriend." Kane stared down at Dolly, who had taken a step back.

"Hi," she said, extending a hand. "I just came to check Eloise was ok." Kane took her hand and shook it.

"Nice to finally meet you," he said, taking hold of Eloise's hand. She moved closer to him and he placed an arm round her. "You ok?" She nodded, but her face was pale.

"I want to go home," she said.

"Good idea," said Mark, emerging from the courtroom. He leaned across to kiss Dolly and then patted Eloise on the shoulder. "You want to come back with us? Have a drink?"

"I'd love to," said Dolly.

"She looks pretty shaken up," said Dolly. Eloise had just gone up to bed. Kane had gone up with her. She had asked him to, saying she wasn't sure she would sleep without him. He had grinned, as this was a step forward for her, to trust him to be with her at night.

"She's better now than she was," replied Mark. "Especially now Rico's been put away."

"I guess having him locked in a mental institution is better than nothing," said Dolly, taking a sip from her glass. Mark sighed.

"Not exactly the result we were hoping for no, but Paul was relieved. I think he needed for there to be a reason for Rico's behaviour. I mean, he's always loved the boy. I'm glad that you came round tonight, wasn't sure I'd see you for a while."

"I'll be around for a bit now. I took a couple of week's holiday that I was owed. I thought maybe we could spend some time getting better acquainted?" She grinned across at him and Mark laughed.

"You ain't backward in coming forward are you, girl," he said. She shook her head and then placed her wine glass on the table beside her. She got to her feet and then straddled Mark's lap, looking deep into his eyes.

"You think you can cope with two weeks of me?" she said.

"Oh yes," said Mark, running his hands up and down her thighs. "No question of that at all."

"Good," she purred. "I plan on spending a lot of time with you over the next couple of weeks."

"Sounds like a great plan to me," he replied, softly.

She leaned against his shoulder, sighing deeply. Mark pulled her closer to him and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"This was a great idea," he said. They were sitting on the bench outside the lodge overlooking the lake and the sun was just setting. Dolly smiled.

"The best idea," she murmured. He squeezed her to him.

"I needed to get away," he said. "All this stuff with Eloise has been pretty heavy and I reckon they needed some time alone."

"We needed time alone too," she replied, sleepily. Mark grinned.

"Of course. I feel we are _much_ better acquainted now." Dolly blushed and then elbowed him in his side.

"Don't make me beat you up, big man," she said. Mark laughed out loud at this and then kissed her again.

"Come on, Doll, you need to get some sleep. Maybe in your dreams you can beat me up. That's the _only_ place you can beat me up."

Dolly laughed at this and let him help her to her feet, then followed him into the lodge. As she climbed into the bed beside him she smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

"I love you, Dolly," he murmured, sleepily. She froze in his arms, wondering if she had misheard him, but then he rolled over and she knew he was asleep.

The following morning, Dolly was up early, still shaken by what Mark had said the night before. She fixed herself a black coffee and went out onto the porch, curling up on the bench with her hands wrapped round the mug. The timing was all wrong; that was the problem. She was not in a position to be involved in anything serious; there was work and... other commitments. She shivered and pulled her cardigan tighter around her.

"You're up early," mumbled Mark as he staggered through the door, waving her phone at her. "I was too late to answer it, sorry."

She took it from him and glanced down at the number. Her face whitened, but Mark didn't notice.

"I'll go down to my car, call them back," she said. Mark raised an eyebrow.

"You can call from here," he said.

"No, it's work stuff. I won't be long," she said, feeling in her pocket for the keys, then rushing to the car before he could question her. Once in her car, she locked the doors and pressed the call button, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited to be connected. She reached the reception desk and asked to be put through urgently.

"Ms James? Glad you called us back. Could you get down here as soon as possible? Thank you."

Dolly crossed the room, slowly. She had told Mark that she would be away for a few days with work. At first the lie had been hard, but time had eased her guilt. He had no reason to know about this part of her life. This was private; something that no one knew about, not even Adrian. The bed was turned away from the door, facing the window, so she couldn't see the person laying there until she had crossed the room. Her heart thudded as it always did as she moved slowly, reluctantly until she was at the side of the bed, looking down at the pale face, trying to ignore the tubes and monitors. Trying to see the face she used to know. The hair was sparse, lank, tied in a loose pony tail, tendrils sticking to the pale cheeks. The eyes which used to dance with laughter were closed for now, as sleep gave welcome respite from the pain that usually riddled the body. She brought a gentle hand down to the cheek and forced a smile as the eyes opened.

"Dolly, my little doll." The words were murmured so quietly that she barely heard them.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

"Hey, Mom," she said, softly. The woman on the bed smiled up at her, her eyes dancing for a moment with laughter, before the pain overtook her again.

"So good to see you."

"You too, Mom." Dolly took her mother's hand in her own and smiled down at her. "I got lots to tell you."

"Good; nice to hear some news," said her mother, with a pained smile.

"I've met someone. I guess I'm falling in love. Well..." She broke off and her mother smiled and squeezed her hand softly.

"_You_ are falling in love?" she said, with a faint laugh. "I've never heard you say that before."

Dolly was silent for a moment and then she shrugged. Her emotions were in a whirlwind and then she laughed, lightly.

"Well, not so much as to mean that you don't come first," she said. Her mother narrowed her eyes slightly.

"We've talked about this before, Dolly," she said. Dolly smiled and stroked the back of her mother's hand.

"No one means that much, Mom," she said. They sat in silence for a time, companionable and comfortable, before her mother suddenly glanced up at her.

"And your father?" she said, softly.

"He isn't my father," said Dolly, coldly.

"Dolly..."

"_He_ is fine, as always. I don't think he'll ever be anything else. Has he been here?"

"I... I find it hard to remember who has been and who hasn't," said her mother dismissively.

Dolly bit her tongue to stop herself from commenting, but felt a surge of anger.

"Tell me more about this man of yours."

"Not much to tell. His name is Mark and he says he loves me."

"Do you love him?" asked her mother, softly, her voice sounding suddenly far away.

"I'm not sure," whispered Dolly, glancing down to see that her mother's eyes had already closed again.

Mark was pacing up and down like a caged animal when she came out from her office. He looked up at her as she walked over to him and grinned a little sheepishly.

"Hey, Doll," he said.

"Mark, what are you doing here?" she asked, a little wearily.

"Thought I'd get a better reaction than that," he said, with an easy grin. She smiled back.

"Sorry, it's just I'm surprised to see you here."

"Figured I'd walk you home," he replied. "Maybe stop for a take away on the way? I know you've been busy these last couple of weeks and I thought you might like a cosy night in."

"That sounds lovely. I'll just be a few minutes," she said.

"That's fine. I'll wait here."

Dolly left him alone for a moment while she went to get her things together. When she came back, he looked thoughtful.

"Mind if I ask you something, Doll?" he said.

"No, go ahead," she said, distractedly.

"I need some information... about Kane," he said. Dolly raised an eyebrow.

"Kane?"

"You know he's given up the job? I found out he's still been doing fires of all things. Made me a bit uncomfortable."

Dolly was silent for a moment and then nodded, seeing the conflict of pain, anger and hurt in his eyes.

"I'll do some digging," she said. After all, it would give her something else to think about and give her a reasonable excuse when she needed to disappear for a few hours to see her mother. Mark pulled her to him and kissed her lips tenderly.

"Thank you," he said, softly. She smiled up at him.

"No problem," she said. "Let me get my coat and we'll go."

Dolly kept her word and did some digging around until she found the information he needed. It wasn't really anything that she hadn't already known; Adrian had after all given her a file on the Callaways when she had been looking for information about Mark. She called Mark to come over to the office so that he could look through it.

Mark followed Dolly into her office and watched as she opened up the filing cabinet and took out a stuffed file. The file was labelled Callaway Fire. He took it from her and she watched as he sat down with it in his hands, not even looking at it for a moment. Eventually, he raised his head to look at her and Dolly smiled at him, reassuringly.

"Mark, there probably isn't anything in there that you don't know already," she said, softly.

"Were you involved in any stories about my home?" he asked. She laughed and shook her head.

"I was a child when the fire took place. I only dug out the file when I started seeing you. There are some stories about your brother in there, mainly about the awful scarring that he had. There's one photo that was taken immediately following the fire as he was taken out of the building. His face was a mess. You wouldn't believe it was the same man when you see it. If his face had looked like that when he took off the mask I would've understood why he wore it."

"I never knew he was so obsessed, Dolly," said Mark, glancing through the file. "It was only when Paul made that comment about fires and it worries me that Kane would say that he is going to carry on with the fires. It bothers me that he is such a pyromaniac, to put it bluntly."

"I don't think he's a pyromaniac, Mark. He certainly still has issues though. I think that's obvious. I don't expect he ever got any counselling after what happened and he was basically master of the house from a very young age. Jacob was his legal guardian, with Paul overseeing him until he reached eighteen."

"That's my fault, Dolly. I should not have left him. I should have come back as soon as it happened, but I guess I was scared. I was only a kid myself."

"He doesn't blame you, Mark. You're his brother. It's all forgotten, isn't it?"

"I don't know," said Mark, thoughtfully. "He's a complicated one. On the one hand he is one of the most caring, gentle people I know. On the other hand I can understand why he's been called a freak and a monster by his enemies. He's a dangerous man, which I think is the real reason why he used to wear the mask. It was to hide his face from his victims and to make them fear him."

"But he's totally different around Eloise."

"Yes he is, but he's taken on a lot more contracts in the months he's been with her. It worries me what might happen now that he isn't taking contracts anymore."

"Mark, he wouldn't hurt Eloise. She means too much to him."

Mark didn't reply but the quizzical expression on his face worried Dolly a little. She sighed and then leaned across and kissed his cheek.

"Try not to worry about him so much, sweetheart. Think about yourself too," she said. "Anyway, find anything in there that you didn't know before?"

Mark was about to say no when his eyes were suddenly drawn to a photograph of his younger brother following the fire. He was standing in front of the house, possibly aged about sixteen, wearing a mask over his face, like something out of a Halloween shop and standing at his side, one hand rested on his shoulder was Paul. The caption read, _Calloway survivor wins fighting tournament hands down. _ Paul had a smile on his face in the picture and Mark knew full well that it would have been him that entered Kane into a fighting competition.

Dolly took the picture from him and read the caption underneath. She sighed and Mark could see that she was thinking.

"It caused quite a stir that I think. My cousins were really into the fighting scene. They were older than me and used to go to the arena frequently. Paul was the organiser I think and everyone had heard of his unstoppable boy who wore a mask. He won the tournament without too much hassle; everyone was afraid of him and not just because of the mask, basically he was Paul's protégé and everyone knew full well that if he chose to he could destroy all of them."

"So everyone was afraid of him?" said Mark. Dolly smiled and nodded.

"No one knew him though, Mark. The guy I've got to know over the last couple of months is nothing like what I thought he'd be. He's so gentle! Especially around Eloise. Which reminds me, did he propose yet?"

"Not yet. I'd imagine he'll be looking for the right moment." Mark was somewhat distracted by the stack of papers in front of him though and Dolly sighed, wishing she'd never brought him here.

"Come on, Mark, let's leave this here. Why don't we go for a beer? You can tell me a bit more about that new bike you wanted to buy."

"Yeah, I guess," said Mark, closing the file, reluctantly and giving Dolly a lazy smile. "Sorry, babe, not much company today, am I?"

"Not really, love. I suppose knowing that Kane specialises in fires must have been a shock to the system though, so I'll forgive you."

"Thanks. Ok, let's go and get that drink. I could really use it. And yes, I'll tell you all about my new bike."

"Oh it's a done deal now, is it?" said Dolly, with a smile. Mark nodded, a wide grin on his face. As Dolly turned away though he pocketed the picture of Kane and Paul, a slight scowl on his face.

"Mom?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she touched her mother's arm. Her mother stirred and half smiled up at her, before her eyes started to close again.

"We had to give her morphine," said the nurse who was hovering at her shoulder. Dolly turned and smiled at her, sadly.

"It's ok, I understand," she replied. "I'll just sit with her for a bit if that's ok?"

"Of course. I'll be outside if you need me," replied the nurse, smiling at her. Dolly sat down on the chair beside her mother's bed and allowed the tears that had been gathering in her eyes to fall silently.

The words began to spill from her almost without her meaning them to; she had always been able to speak to her mother about anything.

"What am I going to do, Mom? When I'm with him, I feel love like I've never felt before but as soon as we are apart all my old doubts creep in. He's a paid thug; jeez I met him because he was going to hurt me. I guess we aren't so different really; we both have a habit of falling for the wrong man."

Her eyes found the photograph on the bedside cabinet of her mother on her wedding day, smiling, beautiful, her arm linked with a tall, striking looking man who still instilled a sense of fear, loathing and worst of all a smattering of respect in Dolly.

"I don't know what to do. Oh, Mom, why? Why can't you be here when I need you the most?" The tears continued to fall and she cried bitterly in the chair beside her mother, not seeing the single tear which fell down her mother's cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Mark sighed deeply. Dolly lifted her head from her laptop to look across at him. He was staring out of the window, but seeing nothing. Since speaking to her mother, Dolly was struggling even more with her feelings about Mark. She knew she had a lot to cope with at the moment with her mother's health and work issues as well, but somehow she couldn't give him up. When they were apart, she would plan to keep her distance; keep things casual like they'd agreed, but when they were together she just couldn't do it. Slowly, Dolly placed the laptop on the table and got to her feet, stretching. She crossed the room to Mark's side and leaned across to kiss his cheek. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Sorry, I was miles away," he said.

"I noticed," she replied. "You ok, Mark? You seem very distracted tonight. What's the matter?"

"Nothing," he replied. "Just thinking. I've been round here a long time now."

"Itchy feet, big man?" she said, sympathetically. He nodded, faintly.

"Something like that yeah. Just want some space." Dolly stepped back, feeling a hot flush spread across her face.

"Sorry, didn't realise I was crowding you," she said. Mark looked up, confused and saw how red her face was. She had misunderstood.

"Jeez, Dolly, you're not crowding me, girl. I like you being around. I like being around you too. Come here."

Dolly shook her head and went back to her laptop. She picked it up and placed it on her lap, tapping away instantly on the keyboard, a fixed expression on her face. Mark watched her for a moment, knowing his comment had hurt her, but not knowing why. He got up and went over to her, lifting the laptop from her knees.

"Mark, I'm working," she protested, but he ignored her, picking her up and kissing her hard on the lips. She struggled at first but then kissed him back and giggled. "Put me down, you oaf! I have work to do."

"Nothing that can't wait," he replied, nuzzling at her neck.

"So tell me, what's the problem?" she asked. "What you thinking about so deeply?"

"You got to ask?"

"Kane?" she said. Mark nodded and sighed deeply, placing her back on the chair.

"I just don't know what to think about this fire stuff and the violence…"

"To be fair, you're not exactly a stranger to violence yourself, Mark," she said, glancing up at him.

"No, but it worries me that he gave up his outlet for it. Kane's always had a short fuse, Doll. Even before our parents… Well, I guess I can understand the paid violence, but the fires? Twisted don't you think?"

"Maybe, but I guess he has his reasons," she said. Mark sighed again and went back to the window.

"So what do I do about it?" he said, eventually.

"Stay out of it," said Dolly, softly. "Kane needs to work things out for himself, Mark and whatever you say to him he'll probably do the opposite anyway. Sometimes people have to find their own path."

"I guess," he said, with a sigh. Finally, her article finished, Dolly shut her laptop down and sighed, standing up and stretching, before taking the coffee that Mark offered her gratefully. She sipped it and sighed contentedly.

"That's better," she said. Mark grinned and then took his phone out of his pocket.

"Damn, six missed calls," he said. "I knew I shouldn't have put it on silent!"

"I'm going to make a sandwich. You want me to make you one?" she said, deciding to get out of the way so he could sort his phone calls out.

"Yes, thanks." Mark scrolled through the numbers on his phone; all the calls were from his brother. He pressed the call button. "Kane? What's up?"

Dolly, closed the kitchen door and busied herself making their sandwiches. Suddenly, the door opened and Mark stood there, his face white.

"What's the matter?" asked Dolly. "What's happened? Is he ok?"

"I've got to go home, Doll. I'll come by later, explain everything. Don't worry, it's nothing life threatening." He didn't see the pain that flashed across her face at those words, but gave her a quick kiss and grabbed his jacket before hurrying out of the door. Dolly stared down at the sandwiches and then went through to the living room, putting her plate down, no longer hungry as she wondered what on earth could have caused Mark to rush off like that.

Mark came back later that night and pulled her to him for a tight embrace. Dolly returned it, confused. He kissed the top of her head and then held her at arm's length, looking deep into her eyes.

"I love you, Dolly," he said, softly. Dolly glanced away, unsure how to respond.

"Mark, what's happened?" she asked.

"It's Eloise, she's gone," he replied. Dolly stared up at him, shocked.

"When did she go? Why? What on earth did she say to him?"

"Slow down, Doll. I can't answer so many questions at once," replied Mark, grimly. "She left in the middle of the night I think; got up for a drink of water and then just didn't go back. He has no idea why. But from the note she left it doesn't sound like she's planning on coming back."

Dolly sighed, sadly, her heart aching for Kane. It had been a week before he had contacted Mark to tell him what had happened. She couldn't imagine the pain he must be feeling. But concern for Eloise clouded the anger she would have felt at the girl for walking out on him.

"We should try and find her, Mark," she said. Mark started to shake his head but she silenced him. "I'm worried about her. She's not been in a good place for a long time. This could be some sort of breakdown."

"I wouldn't know where to start looking for her," said Mark, softly. "She lived with Kane, her flat was gone, and she has no family, no friends that I know of. Hell, I don't even know where she grew up."

"Kane would know," she said, softly. Mark shook his head, vehemently.

"I won't be mentioning her name in a hurry. He loses it every time she's mentioned. And he's started working for Paul again; not just fires either."

Dolly sighed deeply. A thought occurred to her; Paul may be able to find out where she lived but she dismissed it immediately. The thought of Rico finding out that his ex had walked out on Kane made her shiver. Anyway, she could probably do some digging round, check through some old records. If her parents had died, their obituaries might be on record. She could start there.

Two hours later, she was reading up on Eloise's parents, just two among several tragic deaths in the London bombings. It mentioned a small village on the outskirts of Lancashire, so she figured she would start there. Grabbing her phone she flicked through her contacts and smiled as her gaze fell on Kevin's number. He had worked with her a few years back and she knew he had retired to a small town newspaper somewhere in Lancashire. No doubt he would be able to find some leads. She pressed the call button and smiled as Kevin's voice boomed down the phone.

Once she had exchanged pleasantries and explained the reason for the call, Kevin sad he would do some digging and call her back. Within four hours he rang her; he had found her aunt's obituary and it gave the name of the road she had lived on and the village, as well as naming Eloise as her heir.

"Excellent! Thanks Kevin, I appreciate it. I should be up by the end of the week."

"Ok, kid. Great to hear from you, Dolly and be good to see you if you get some time. Maybe we could grab a bite to eat while you're here?"

"Sure, Kevin. Thanks again." She hung up and then leaned back in her chair, with a sigh. Sometimes it paid to be a journalist.

Mark wasted no time when she told him what she had found out. He told her to pack a few things and he would be back within the hour with his own things. When he returned, he had booked a hotel in Lancashire for the two of them. He drove in silence for much of the way, broken only once by Dolly when they got to the outskirts of Lancashire.

"Mark," she said, softly. "Go easy on her. She will have her reasons." She of all people knew how intense Mark and Kane could be and she imagined for a moment that it could have been her walking out, leaving for her own reasons. Sometimes distance was the only way she knew from experience.

"I'll go easy on her when I know what her reasons are," he growled. Dolly shivered despite herself; she had never seen him so angry and his anger frightened her; it was so tightly controlled. She could see why he was so good at his job, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. They arrived at the hotel and checked in and then went up to their room.

"Will you drop me at the Express office on your way? I need to do some catching up." Mark nodded and they set off again, Dolly feeling butterflies in her stomach as she wondered if she had done the right thing telling him where to find Eloise.

Kevin embraced her warmly, then held her at arm's length.

"You look pale, Dolly," he said and she laughed.

"Thanks, Kev."

He led her into his office and then switched the kettle on.

"So how's your mother?" he asked, conversationally, turning to face her just in time to see the flash of pain before she regained her composure.

"Fine thanks." The lie slid easily from her tongue but Kevin raised an eyebrow.

"And now the truth?" he said. Dolly took the steaming cup from him and held it tightly in her hands in front of her like a shield.

"She has an aggressive form of cancer and is living in a hospice. She's dying, Kev," said Dolly, carefully keeping any trace of emotion from her voice. Slowly, Kevin crossed the room, took her cup from her and then wrapped her in the warmest, most fatherly hug she had ever experienced and the tears were crushed from her in his embrace, until she was sobbing bitterly in his arms

"Why are you here?" The voice was flat, dull. He looked down at her, taking in her pale face, shadowed eyes and lank hair. She did not look like the woman he had known.

"You going to invite me in?" he said, softly. She didn't answer but stepped back from the door, leading him through a narrow hallway to a small sitting room, sparsely furnished. He sat down on the battered settee and she perched on a dining chair across the room from him, chewing her lip nervously.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, finally.

"Not going to offer me a drink, El?" he asked. She did not speak though, just looked across at him, waiting for an answer. "You know why I'm here, girl." At the sudden change of tone, Eloise got to her feet.

"I'll put the kettle on," she said, almost hurrying from the room to the kitchen where she lit the small stove and boiled a pan of water. His shadow fell on her and she turned to see his frame filling the doorway. She stifled a gasp and focussed on the pan of water.

"Eloise, what the hell is going on? Why did you walk out on Kane like that? And why are you living like this? Didn't my brother pay you?"

"It really is none of your business, Mark," she replied, her voice cracking with emotion.

She poured water into the two cups, stirring in the coffee granules. As he took the cup from her, Mark saw how her hand was shaking.

"How is Kane?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant but not quite managing it.

"He's a mess, El. What would you expect with the way you left him?"

Suddenly she looked him square in the face, the first time she had since he arrived and he saw the raw anguish on her face. It took him aback for a moment, but then the mask fell down again and she looked blank.

"He is better off without me," she said.

"Why would you say that?" asked Mark, softening a little after seeing her suffering.

"Because I have brought him nothing but trouble. He does not need me in his life, Mark. Now, I appreciate you coming all the way up here, but I'm not your problem anymore, or his. Tell him… no… don't tell him you've seen me. It's better for him that he thinks I'm gone and I don't care. He doesn't need me around."

"I'm not going anywhere, Eloise. You are a mess! What the hell has gotten into you that you would say such stupid things? Kane loves you, more than anything else. Why on earth would he be better off without you?"

"Mark, please, just leave! Go away and leave me alone. I don't want anything to do with you or your brother anymore! Get out of my house and get out of my life! Perhaps you should ask your brother how much he cares? He hasn't even tried to contact me since I left. Get it into your thick skull that I do not love your brother; I never did. It was just a phase. There is nothing between us. Now get out!"

Mark staggered back under the weight of her sudden anger, but then felt a spark of anger himself. Suddenly his hand was round her throat, slamming her back against the wall. Eloise cried out in fear, but Mark ignored it.

"You are full of crap, Eloise. You love Kane and I will not just walk out of here because you tell me to. Now what the hell has gotten into you?"

"Mark, please, you're hurting me," she whispered. He leant down to look directly into her eyes.

"I ain't even started with you yet, girl," he said. Her eyes filled suddenly with tears and she brought her hands down to her stomach.

"Please," she whispered, again. "Mark, I'm pregnant."

Mark let go of her instantly and then looked down at her stomach. She didn't look any bigger, but then he was no expert.

"How long?"

"Four months," she replied.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

"How long?" asked Kevin looking across at Dolly over the top of his glasses. She sighed and took a sip of her drink.

"The last three months she's been in the hospice. I don't know what's keeping her going to be honest. Every week I get an urgent phone call to get there and then she seems to just keep going. It's awful, Kev. I find myself sometimes wishing it would just happen, but then I feel so guilty..." She broke off, feeling tears gathering in her eyes again.

"That's natural, Dolly," he said, softly. "Anyone would feel the same way. What about your father?"

She bit back the angry retort that he wasn't her father and cleared her throat.

"He's very busy at the moment I think," she replied.

"You haven't spoken to him?" Kevin sounded flat rather than surprised and she smiled bitterly.

"Once. He called me down to London because he was interested in a story I was doing. Didn't mention Mom at all. In fact, he had me drugged and stole my laptop."

"He hasn't changed much," said Kevin. "What story were you doing that he was so fascinated by that he forgot to ask how his wife was when he saw you?"

"Mark Callaway," she replied. Kevin nodded.

"Ah, your partner?"

"I guess."

"You don't sound so sure, Dolly."

"Well, he doesn't know too much about me at the moment to be honest. He doesn't know who my step-father is and he doesn't know about my mother."

"Good grief, Dolly!"

"I know, I know, but it was supposed to be casual, so I never said anything and now... well I don't want to burden him with it; he has enough on his plate with Kane and Eloise."

"But if he loves you he won't be bothered about you burdening him; he will want to help surely?"

"Or he might think he's got too much on at the moment and walk out," she replied.

"You love him?" Kevin's question caught her off guard and she didn't answer immediately.

"I don't know to be honest. I haven't given it much thought with everything else that's going on."

Kevin sighed, knowing that she didn't want to talk about it anymore and changed the subject, taking her on a tour of his offices and telling her about the newspaper.

Back at the hotel, Mark was very quiet, laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Dolly showered and changed, grateful that Mark hadn't commented on how red her face was when he collected her from the office. He had been very distracted and she had her own thoughts and neither had asked about the other's day.

"She's pregnant," he said, suddenly, without looking at her. Dolly paused, then carried on putting her jewellery on.

"Is that why she left?"

"She said that she's frightened of having a baby around a man who is basically a paid thug." His words held a hint of bitterness and Dolly knew what would be going through his mind. But she sympathised with what Eloise had said.

"Do you think she'll change her mind?" she said, as it seemed the safest thing to say under the circumstances.

"I don't know. Dolly, if it was us... would you..." he broke off, unable to finish his sentence. She was silent for a moment.

"It isn't us," she said, eventually. Mark narrowed his eyes and sat up.

"But if it was?" he said, piercing her with his gaze.

"I understand what she is saying," she replied. "If I had to worry about whether the man I loved was coming home again that would be hard, but for a child to worry if their daddy is coming home... that's somehow worse. But like I said, it isn't us and I guess until you are in that position it's hard to say what you would do. What do you think Kane will do when you tell him?"

She was keen to get off the subject of what she would do, especially with the way he was looking at her, his eyes narrowed to slits. He looked away from her.

"I don't know," he replied. "But if it was me, I would do everything I could to get back the woman I love."

Dolly was relieved to get home. Mark had gone back to his own home to tell Kane what had happened and she was grateful to close the door on him. It had been a very intense couple of days and she hadn't really liked the side of Mark she had seen at times. The tightly controlled anger was not reassuring. Adrian was thrilled to see her and insisted on calling round that evening with a bottle of wine.

"So ape man behaved himself while you were away?" he said. Dolly giggled despite herself; Adrian was like a breath of fresh air after the last few days.

"He was fine," she said, seeing no reason to tell him anything different. "How's things at the office? I've been working from home so much recently I've forgotten what the place looks like!"

"How is it you have Anthony so wrapped around your little finger that you get to work from home?" asked Adrian.

"Because he knows that if I work from home I actually get some _work_ done, Adrian!" she replied, with a laugh. Adrian smiled.

"Touché!" he said, clinking her glass with his. "So do you think she'll come back?"

The smile faded from her face and she frowned thoughtfully.

"Probably, yes. The Callaway boys can be very persuasive. And I think she genuinely does love him. It's not casual with them."

"It's not casual with you and ape boy either," snorted Adrian.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, even from early days, he dropped everything to rush to London for you... oh." Adrian suddenly looked very guilty.

"What's the problem?" asked Dolly.

"You had a phone call while you were away. I think Anthony e-mailed you about it. Nothing too urgent I don't think. Just..."

"Who was it?" asked Dolly, immediately thinking of her mother.

"Don't go mad."

"Adrian!"

"John Austin called for you. Anthony said you were away on an assignment and he said he'd ring the office Monday for you."

"Great," muttered Dolly. "Well that's ruined my evening." She put her glass down, sulkily and Adrian smiled, sympathetically.

"Tell you what. Let's get a take away. I've another bottle in my bag. We'll drown our sorrows."

"What's your sorrows?"

"Well, you aren't the only one with a dramatic love life," he replied, raising an eyebrow. Dolly's eyes widened and all thoughts of Austin seemed to leave her head as she immediately began to question him. Son they were giggling and chatting as if nothing had been said, but Dolly couldn't quite put John Austin out of her head.

"Deborah, you haven't answered ay of my calls for a month now." His voice was smooth, but she knew how dangerous he was and wasn't fooled at all.

"I had to get a new phone; a new number. I was burgled." She kept her own voice cold and aloof, hiding her turmoil of emotions from him.

"How is your mother?" The sudden question threw her completely off guard though.

"How dare you ask me that? If you cared, you would have been to see her! You would know yourself how she is, you..."

"Careful, Deborah. I am paying for the hospice, don't forget. And you still owe me a story." The way he mentioned both her mother and her story in the same sentence, she knew was no accident. She felt the first fluttering of fear.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, after a brief silence.

"Get me a decent story about the Callaways and Paul Wright. One strong enough to shut Wright down." His tone broached no argument and he hung up before she could disagree. Dolly stared down at the phone for a long time and felt nothing but blind fury for several minutes.

"Everything ok, honeybee?" asked Adrian, suddenly appearing at her side.

"Fine," she replied, shortly.

"Sure?"

"Sorry, Adrian. Yes, I'm fine."

" Austin?"

"He wants me to do a story," she said, softly. Adrian bit his lip, knowing her well enough to know she didn't want to talk about it.

"You just do what you have to do, Doll," he advised. She nodded, distracted. There was only one person she wanted to talk to at the moment.

"I've got to go," she said.

"Dolly." Her mother smiled up at her; she seemed a little brighter today. Dolly crossed the room, quickly and embraced her mother gently.

"I just wanted to call by and see you."

"Your father came yesterday," she said, suddenly, completely taking Dolly's breath away. She didn't see her daughter pale as she smiled at the photo on her bedside table. "He said that he's heard of a new treatment in Switzerland. If I were a little stronger..."

"He came here?" Dolly felt shivers of trepidation running up and down her spine. He must have known she would come to see her mother and had decided to send her a warning via her mother. Let her know he was serious about what he had said about her mother's care.

"Of course." Her mother was so lost in her own happiness at seeing her husband that she didn't notice her daughter's reaction. Dolly knew then that she was between the devil and the deep blue sea; she had no choice but to do what he had said. She would have to continue with her relationship but try to detach herself from the rising emotions she felt for Mark. And she knew that would be next to impossible.

Mark watched Eloise and Kane in the kitchen for a moment, unobserved. She was glowing, wearing a loose shift dress, though her bump was quite apparent now; but then she would seven months pregnant now. Kane had his arms round her, standing behind her, his hands caressing her bump gently. She half turned to kiss him and then her eyes fluttered open and she smiled directly at Mark.

"Hi," he said, a little sheepishly.

"Hi, Mark. Coffee?" asked Eloise.

"No Rose today?"

"They've gone out for the day; garden show or something. What brings you here?" asked Eloise as she switched the kettle on. She rocked back on her heels a little and Kane smiled.

"Sit down, El. I'll make these. You want one?"

"Just hot water please," she replied.

"So, Mark, what can we do for you?" asked Kane.

"Business," he said, watching as Eloise stiffened a little. "Not that business, El. Paul has offered me the management of the gym that was his nephew's. I just wanted to let you both know I've accepted it, so I'll be around a while longer. I wanted to talk to you about the cottage, Kane."

"That's great news, Mark," said Eloise, with a warm smile.

"The cottage?" said Kane, his tone giving nothing away.

"I know you were planning on having it done up. Dolly and I want to know if we can have it? We'll pay to have it done up, but in terms of the inheritance, it's all I want. What do you think?"

"Have you asked Dolly?" asked Eloise, her eyes widening.

"Not yet," he replied. "I want it to be a surprise."

"You've really fallen for her, haven't you?" said Kane, incredulously. He had never thought to see the day his brother would settle down.

Mark reddened a little and glanced at Eloise.

"I guess I have," he said.

"That's fantastic, Mark. I'm so pleased for you both," said Eloise. "And don't worry; I've got a few designers listed to get hold of. Perhaps you could meet with them?"

"Sounds good," said Mark.

"Well, as soon as I've been through the list and discussed it with the boss, I'll give you a shout." She grinned at Kane.

"Excellent," said Mark, a smile spreading across his face. "And it's ok with you, Kane?"

"Of course," said Kane, with a shrug. "Better than you living in the main house."

Eloise laughed and rubbed at her stomach contentedly.

"Now then, Little One," she said, addressing her bump. "Daddy and Uncle Mark like to bicker, but most of the time you can just ignore them. "

Kane rolled his eyes.

"Drink your water," he said. Eloise sipped her water and listened to Kane and Mark discussing the cottage, the banter between them and a feeling of deep contentment settled over her.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Mark grinned to himself as he leafed through the documents on his way up the path to Dolly's front door. He tapped on the door and whisked her into his arms as soon as she opened it. Dolly stared at him, surprised and seemed a little breathless when he put her down.

"How's my favourite doll today?" he asked. He didn't see her face as she closed the door behind him and led the way through to the sitting room. He rolled his eyes at the sight of her laptop and the piles of paperwork around it, along with the empty cups littered around the room.

"Busy," she replied, as lightly as she could. "And you?" Even to her own ears her cheeriness sounded forced.

"You got time to talk?" he asked, sounding so excited that she couldn't help but smile.

"Sure, I need a break. I'll put the kettle on."

"Got any clean cups?" asked Mark.

"Tell you what, wise guy, you gather up the cups and you can wash up while I sort out the kettle."

"That sounds like a poor deal, Ms James." He grinned though and started to collect her cups. She couldn't help but smile at him standing at the sink washing up the cups while she leaned against the counter.

"So what's put you in such a good mood, big man?" she asked.

"I've got a place of my own lined up," he said. Dolly smiled warmly.

"That's great. I bet Kane's thrilled you won't be under his feet anymore."

"Not quite," laughed Mark. "It's the cottage in the grounds of the house. It's a good size, needs a total refurbishment but Eloise is on with that. It would be just the perfect size for two."

Dolly paused with what she was doing and felt butterflies in her stomach at his words. His meaning was fairly clear and she shivered, glad that she was turned away from him so that he couldn't see her face before she composed herself.

"Really? So were you thinking of getting a room-mate?"

"Dolly, I know we haven't been together all that long, but the cottage will take a while to complete... how would you feel about moving in with me?"

Dolly was silent for a moment, torn. This should have been one of the happiest times in her life; instead all she could think about was Charles Slater and his threats.

"I thought you'd be a bit more excited," he said, eventually when she didn't respond. Dolly turned quickly to face him and embraced him, so that she could hide her face.

"Oh Mark, I would love to," she said. "You just caught me by surprise, that's all."

Mark didn't hear anything but that she would move in with him and he lifted her off her feet, embracing her tightly. He didn't even notice when he told her that he loved her that she still didn't respond in kind.

For the next few weeks, Mark was in a daze of happiness that nothing could penetrate and he didn't even notice that Dolly was working longer and longer hours and seeing less of him than before as he worked with Eloise on plans for the cottage. Dolly managed to seem enthusiastic and happy when she was around Mark, but the reality was that she was trying to think how she could keep Charles Slater happy and most importantly protect her mother. And the other part of her, the part that was falling for Mark, wanted to run away so that she wouldn't hurt him.

That night, she carefully twisted her hair into a chignon and applied a liberal amount of make-up. They were going for a meal with Kane and Eloise that night, at Kane's house, but Mark had said that they were dressing up as Eloise couldn't manage going out at the moment with the size of her bump. She had packed a small overnight bag and her laptop in its bag and even managed to ignore Mark's expression when he saw that she had brought work with her.

"So, is Kane cooking?" she asked, turning to smile at him. Mark gathered her into his arms and kissed her.

"No chance; we don't want poisoning! Rose has cooked and left strict reheating instructions." Dolly laughed and allowed herself the luxury of growing comfortable in his embrace for a moment, before her phone beeping broke the moment.

"Sorry," she said, going to her handbag and extracting it.

_Don't let me down. _

Dolly grimaced and deleted the message quickly.

"Work," she said, breezily, which wasn't a total lie.

"Can't you switch it off? Just for tonight?" said Mark.

Dolly nodded and then followed him down the stairs into the dining room, where Eloise was sat at the table already and Kane was bustling around, with steaming plates of food.

"Need a hand, bro?" asked Mark.

"About time you offered," muttered Kane, as he stomped off to the kitchen again. Eloise laughed as Mark followed his brother, leaving her alone with Dolly.

"There's a bottle of white in the cooler," she said, smiling across at Dolly.

"Thanks. How are you?" Dolly poured herself a glass of wine and Eloise smiled contentedly.

"I'm fine, huge and whale like, but fine," she said. She looked across at Dolly and narrowed her eyes. "Tell me to mind my own business if you want, but..." She broke off quickly as Kane and Mark came back into the room, their banter at full swing.

"Starters," announced Kane, putting steaming bowls of soup down on the placemats with bread rolls. They sat down to eat and Eloise watched as Dolly pushed her soup around the bowl, eating only a fraction of it. She did the same with her main course and her dessert. And the wine was barely touched. She seemed distracted, only speaking when directly addressed and smiling when someone smiled at her. Eloise bided her time until Kane and Mark had gone to clear away and then she leaned across the table.

"Dolly, what's the matter?" she asked. Dolly started and looked across at her. She had thought that her behaviour had been normal, but Eloise had noticed that she wasn't right.

"I've been doing a lot of work," she said, dismissively. "I guess I'm just tired. Sorry."

"How's things with Mark?" Eloise plunged straight for the heart of the matter and Dolly looked up into her eyes, seeing nothing but warmth and care. She took a deep breath.

"Ok," she said, forcing a smile.

"If things aren't right, you can say," said Eloise, after a brief silence.

"I don't understand," said Dolly.

"Dolly, he's asked you to move in together and the cottage is being completely gutted and refurbished yet you haven't been anywhere near. That's not normal if you don't mind me saying."

"I've just been busy with work," she said, twisting her wine glass in her fingers. "I am excited, of course I am and I trust Mark's judgement. And ultimately, it is his cottage..."

"If you don't want to be with him, you should tell him before you move in together," said Eloise, softly. Dolly felt tears stinging her eyes and looked away.

"I'm just going to use the bathroom," she said, hurrying away to the sanctuary of Mark's en-suite. Once inside, with the door locked, she let her tears flow. She hated her step-father, with all the passion she could muster for putting her in this position. The thought of leaving Mark filled her with misery, but the thought of anything harming her mother hurt so much that she couldn't breathe when she thought of it. Suddenly there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Doll? You okay, darling?" Mark's voice came through the door. Hastily she wiped her eyes.

"I... I'm fine. I got something in my eye, that's all," she said.

"Come on out, let me have a look for you," he said. Slowly, she opened the door and Mark took in her tear-stained face without comment. He tilted her chin back and looked into her eyes. "Nothing there, darling."

"It must have come out while I was in the bathroom," she said. "I'm sorry, Mark, I'm kind of tired. Must be all that food."

Mark raised an eyebrow; he knew she had barely touched the food. He brought a hand to her forehead, suddenly and shrugged; her skin was cool.

"Do you mind if I go to bed? Will you apologise to Kane and Eloise for me. I feel exhausted."

She did look pale and with her make-up washed away, he could see the dark shadows under her eyes.

"Sure. You get yourself ready. I'll be up shortly," he replied.

Dolly started several minutes later when there was a knock at the door. It was Eloise.

"I'm sorry if I upset you before," she said, heaving herself into a chair by the window. Dolly sat down on the bed and drew her knees up to her chest.

"You didn't. It's just... I guess this is a pretty big thing for me. I've always lived alone and been caught up with work more than a personal life and now... I don't know; Mark is so heavy sometimes."

Eloise laughed.

"A Callaway trait," she said, with a sympathetic smile.

"Why did you leave, Eloise?" asked Dolly, suddenly, catching the other by surprise. Eloise was silent for a moment and then she glanced away, out of the window.

"Kane knows that I am no fan of his career choice. Especially when I found out I was pregnant. After what I went through with Rico, I couldn't bear the thought of a child going through anything even remotely similar. I know Kane wouldn't hurt me or our child, but he would hurt others, maybe anyone who might threaten us and I still find that hard to deal with." She looked across at Dolly. "But I love him. So we both have to compromise."

"Are you afraid of him?" asked Dolly.

"No," said Eloise, thoughtfully. "I have been but I know for a fact he wouldn't hurt me. Are you afraid of Mark? Is that what this is about?"

"Not afraid exactly, but I don't have your confidence that he wouldn't hurt me."

"Has he threatened you?" asked Eloise, a note of anger in her tone.

"No, Eloise, no. Well, not exactly. He has told me in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't be pleased if I ever wrote about him or anyone he cared about..."

"That isn't likely though... is it?" There was a brief hesitation as Eloise said this and when Dolly met her eyes, she saw curiosity there.

"Of course not. I... I care for him; I couldn't do that to him." As she said the words, Dolly knew they were true and that caused her a stab of real fear. She didn't fear Mark the way she did John Austin.

"Well, I'll let you get to sleep. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. You know, Dolly, if ever you want to talk, I'm always here. Literally at the moment because I can't fit behind the wheel of the car much less drive anywhere!" Eloise laughed and Dolly smiled.

"Thanks, Eloise. Night."

As Eloise closed the door, Dolly picked her phone up from the bedside table and switched it on. She held her breath, but there were no messages. With a sigh of relief she climbed into the bed and fell asleep almost straight away, not even stirring when Mark came up.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"So he finally did it then," said Dolly, with a grin. Mark grinned back at her.

"I knew he would. It was just a matter of time really."

"Funny that, I'm sure you said your little brother would never get married."

Mark shrugged. "Guess I can't be right all the time. And I didn't really mean it. Just after his ex... Well I guess it's different with Eloise. She does seem to bring out the best in the grouchy so and so."

"Kane grouchy?" said Dolly, raising an eyebrow, questioningly. Getting her gist, Mark grabbed her and tickled her until she squealed for him to release her.

"That was your punishment for being cheeky," he replied, giving her a kiss on her lips. She giggled.

"I suppose we should get the m a present," she said, thoughtfully.

"They get a present for getting engaged?" said Mark, incredulously. "Perhaps we should too?"

"I don't think so, big man," said Dolly, lightly.

"You don't want to marry me?"

"Not today," she replied, breezily, avoiding his piercing gaze.

"But one day?" Mark persisted.

"Maybe." There was an awkward silence, while Dolly drummed her fingers on the table and Mark studied her, a bemused expression on his face.

"You and me, Dolly, I thought we were for keeps," he said, eventually, his voice unusually quiet and unsure.

"We are, sweetheart," she said, leaning across and kissing his cheek. "But I'm not ready for wedding bells just yet. I'm not about to walk out; hey we're moving in aren't we? I just figure one step at a time."

Mark smiled back at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You're very quiet today, Mark," said Eloise, as they looked through the pack of designs they'd received from the shortlisted three designers and their quotes.

"Sorry, El, guess my mind's wandering. Must be all the light shining off that rock on your finger distracting me." Eloise glanced down at her engagement ring and smiled wistfully, but she had heard the bitter note in his tone.

"You are happy for us, aren't you, Mark?" she said.

"Of course I am. There's no one I'd rather have for a sister-in-law. It's not you, El. Just..."

"Come on, spill," said Eloise, closing the file and resting her chin on her hand.

"Well I was kinda kidding around with Dolly and I jokingly said we should get married and she just completely negated the idea; no discussion, nothing. Just an out and out no way."

"I guess marriage isn't for everyone," said Eloise, diplomatically.

"You know that isn't what you're thinking," said Mark, his green eyes penetrating into hers. She glanced away from the intensity of his gaze and sighed, leaning forward a little and rubbing her back.

"Mark, if Dolly isn't ready for marriage talk, she isn't ready. You can't force her to want the same as you right from day one. And anyway, you've always kind of suggested it was a short-term thing up to recently. I've got to be honest I was very surprised when you said you wanted the cottage to set up home with her."

"Don't you like her?" asked Mark.

"Don't be silly. I love her, you know I do. I think she's been great for you. But don't push her. You'll know when the time is right. Just because Kane and I have got engaged, doesn't mean you two have to as well, you know." She smiled at him, to soften her words a little and he nodded.

"I suppose you're right. Guess I just thought she would be eager for a ring too; thought all you girls wanted that."

Eloise laughed.

"Of course, Mark," she said.

"OK, now I've got that off my chest, let's get back to these designs. Before she changes her mind about moving in as well."

Eloise sighed and took hold of his hands.

"Mark, she loves you. Anyone can see that, just seeing the way she looks at you. Just because she doesn't want a ring at the moment, doesn't mean she never will. Like you say, she wants to move in with you. One step at a time."

"Funny, she said the same thing," said Mark.

"Yes, well, great minds think alike," said Eloise, drawing out the folder they had been looking at and spreading the designs in front of them.

"She never says it though, El," he said, suddenly.

"Says what?" asked Eloise, glancing up from the designs.

"She's never once said that she loves me."

Eloise digested this for a moment and thought about the way Dolly had skirted round those words when she was talking to her one night.

"Sometimes the words don't mean as much as the way someone acts," she replied. "And anyone watching you with Dolly and her with you can see that you're in love. Has she hinted that she doesn't see this as a long-term relationship?"

"No, not at all. In fact she said we are for keeps." He smiled a little as he sad this and Eloise smiled back.

"Right, let's focus on these designs. The sooner you two move in together the better all round I think."

"I wondered if you could tell me the approximate cost a month at the hospice?" she said, holding the phone tightly in one hand and a pen in the other. She listened carefully to the friendly voice on the other end of the phone and jotted down the figures. "Thank you. I will get back to you soon if that is ok?"

She hung up and stared down at the figure on the piece of paper and her eyes filled with tears. She would never raise that much cash a month; not even if she sold everything she had. And she couldn't bear the thought of taking her mother out from the home she was happy in; or at least as happy as she could be in the circumstances. Her phone rang and she answered it without checking the caller ID.

"I am still waiting, Deborah."

"I'm working on it," she said.

"You better had be. I want a copy of what you have written so far now. You will email it to me and stay on the line while I read it." The tone of voice broached no argument and she shivered.

"It's not exactly ready to be read, just a collection of notes, a lot of them hand-written," she gabbled.

"Deborah, do you need me to send you a reminder that I will not be toyed with?" he asked.

"N...no," she stammered, sounding very little like herself.

"E-mail me what you have come up with, now," he said, firmly. Dolly felt tears burning her eyes.

"I'm sorry... there's someone at the door. It's Mark. Look, I'll call you later. I promise," she said. There was silence for a moment and then the click of the other phone hanging up. She sighed with relief and then looked through the notes she had written up to now, safely stored on her laptop. The basic information about who he was and the types of cases he had done, along with more detailed synopsis on Paul Wright. Information that would hurt him more than she could bear and would probably end up hurting her too. Her finger hovered over the delete key and then she thought of her mother and knew she could not do it.

Later that afternoon there was a knock at the door and Dolly went to answer it, sleepily. When she got there, there was no one there though; instead she found a bouquet of flowers. Dolly smiled and took them inside, wondering when Mark would show up. Carefully she unwrapped them and set the small envelope to one side while she put the flowers in water. The bouquet was enormous, a mixture of gerberas, roses and carnations in shades of red and white and she filled two vases with the flowers. When she was done, she placed them in the lounge and the kitchen, before sinking into a chair and opening the little envelope that had come with them.

"_For my daughter. When you look at these, remember their beauty and think when you might have occasion to buy flowers and wreaths. With love, your father."_

Dolly gave a cry of shock and rushed to the bathroom where she was violently sick. She hurried to the kitchen and took out a bin bag, flinging the flowers and the card into them and then depositing the bag into the depths of her dustbin.

"How ungrateful!" The voice made her start violently and she paled. "I always said you were a spoilt brat."

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, fighting to keep her voice steady.

"I came to see if you liked the flowers," he replied, his pale blue eyes staring at her.

She didn't reply, her eyes glancing towards her front door.

"We need to talk, Deborah." He led the way into her house and she followed him slowly, knowing she had no option.

Mark fiddled with his phone as he walked up the path to Dolly's house. She hadn't been in touch all day and he wondered if she was upset with him for mentioning marriage. He tapped on her front door and was relieved to see her open it, with a huge, welcoming smile. She more or less threw herself into his arms.

"Whoa, girl," he said, with a laugh. "What's brought this on?" Dolly held him tightly for a moment and then let him into her house.

"Just pleased to see you," she replied.

"Is that right? Well I'm pleased to see you too. Busy day?" He looked around her living room and was surprised to see it looking immaculate; not a thing out of place.

"I caught up on some cleaning," she said, dismissively.

"Where did all the coffee cups go?" he asked.

"Laugh it up, big man," she called over her shoulder as she headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Mark followed her and leant on the counter.

"So what's brought this on? I never thought I'd see the day; domesticated Dolly!"

"I don't know. I guess I had a quieter day and needed something to do. Cleaning seemed like a good option. Much better than work anyway."

"Writer's block?" he asked.

"Something like that," she said, with a grimace.

"Well maybe you should get writer's block more often? The place looks great!"

"Funny," she replied, with a giggle. "Anyway, as much as I would love to carry on with this line of conversation, I would like to know how things are going with our cottage?"

He noticed that she said "our cottage" and smiled warmly, as he began to tell her about the designers.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Come on!" called Mark, impatiently. Dolly laughed and hurried to catch up with him.

"I'm coming Uncle Mark!" she replied with a giggle. Mark grunted and then carried on along the corridor to the ward where Eloise's room was. He pushed the door with his foot and rolled his eyes at the sight of his brother leaning forwards to kiss Eloise.

"Hey! Stop smooching and come give me a hand with this," called Mark from the door. He was struggling with the biggest teddy bear Eloise had ever seen. She took her son from Kane and watched as Kane and Mark brought the bear into the room. Dolly sat down beside Eloise and smiled warmly at her.

"He's beautiful," she said. "Did you think of a name?"

"We're going to call him Luke," said Eloise. Mark looked across at her with a start and then a large smile covered his face.

"Perfect," he said, softly. "Just perfect."

"Why on earth couldn't you just get a normal sized bear?" grumbled Kane, struggling to find somewhere to put the huge blue bear. Eloise and Dolly laughed.

"He's my first nephew, isn't he? Had to mark the occasion. Thank goodness he looks like his mother!" said Mark, crossing to the bed where he looked down at Eloise holding Luke tenderly.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked, looking up at Mark. Mark stared down at the tiny bundle and a look of worry crossed his face.

"I don't know," he said, sounding a little nervous.

"Finally found something that scares him, El," said Kane. "A tiny baby!"

"I just don't want to hurt him," said Mark, huffily.

"Just make sure you support his head," said Kane, lifting his son and handing him carefully across to Mark. Dolly watched him cradling the tiny baby and couldn't help but smile.

"Your turn next?" said Kane. Dolly's smile faltered little and she didn't respond.

"We need to move in first," said Mark, smoothly. Dolly smiled across at him, gratefully and glanced back at Eloise and Kane, who were looking at one another adoringly. She felt a stab of discomfort.

"I'll be back in a minute," she said. "I'm just going to get a bottle of water. Anyone want anything?" She headed out and went down to the shop, purchased her water and then went outside to sit on a bench, sipping her water. Her phone was vibrating insistently in her pocket and she blanched when she took it out.

"Why am I still waiting? I am not a patient man, Deborah, as I am sure you know."

"I'm sorry; I just need a little more time. Please."

"You've had more than enough time and I am sick of waiting. I will be on the phone to the hospice at three o'clock on the dot, requesting that my wife be transferred."

"No... please. I will send you the story. I promise... I'm at the hospital with him now; his brother's fiancé just had a baby... no it won't be in the story. I know it isn't what you want. I have several pages already; they just need editing. I'll do it now. Just give me an hour to get home and email it to you."

Dolly didn't see Mark standing behind her and he made sure that she didn't know he had heard every word, as he walked back through the door and then when he saw her hang up, headed out with a forced smile.

"Alright, darling? We'd best be going. Eloise needs to rest; I said goodbye for you." He took her hand and led her back to the car, wordlessly. Dolly followed him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears

Mark dropped her off at home and kissed her cheek. He watched her go up the path; seeing her drop the keys twice before she let herself into the house. She didn't look back as she rushed into the house ad didn't see her boyfriend pull away and then park just out of sight of her house.

"Whatever it takes boy; you must stop her. If you don't we will all be ruined," said Paul, firmly. Mark's grip on the phone tightened. "I know it's hard, but see it as a job."

"I'll do what I can," he said, grimly and then closed his phone, stuffing it in his glove box before he headed out of the car. No one saw him as he slid down the side of her house and let himself in through her back door using the key she had given him a couple of weeks ago. He entered in complete silence and soundlessly went through to the living room, where he could see her sitting with her back to him, a document open in front of her. Mark was so quiet he managed to stand more or less directly behind her and carefully read what she had written, seeing an account of his work and his personal life as he scanned through quickly. White hot anger surged through him at her betrayal and he moved so quickly she didn't see him until it was too late. Mark snatched the laptop from her, ripping the wire from its socket. Dolly gave a cry of shock and leapt to her feet.

"Mark?" she stammered, before she recovered herself. "What are you doing here?"

"What the hell is this?" he asked, shaking the laptop at her.

"I can explain..." she began, but he cut her off with an icy glare. Mark flung the laptop on the floor suddenly and she gasped, rushing forward to rescue it. "No!"

Mark grabbed her before she reached it and she fought him, clawing at his hands desperately as she saw him raise a foot to stamp on her laptop. She managed to push him back, catching him by surprise as she fought like a she-cat. Mark thrust her away from him and she landed with a thud against the settee, winding herself. All she thought of was her mother, being moved in her delicate state and that gave her the strength to get to her feet again and she rushed forwards, throwing herself over the laptop; Mark only just managing to stop his foot from landing on her rather than the laptop. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to one side, holding her firmly as he brought his foot down through the screen of the laptop, several times.

"No!" she cried, desperately fighting against him. "No!" Suddenly, catching him unawares, she bit Mark's hand, causing him to roar with pain and anger, but he released her and she went to grab the laptop, rescuing it from the floor. Mark grabbed her again and wrestled the laptop from her grip, knocking her to the floor inadvertently. Mark lifted the laptop over his head and flung it to the floor, shattering it. He stopped and looked across at her, his eyes slits of burning, green fury. Dolly sat up, slowly and then staggered to her feet. She did not look afraid of him, just hurt and angry.

"How could you?" she gasped. His eyes widened a little and then he took a step towards her.

"How could _I?_" he demanded. "What the hell was that all about? How could you? Why would you write all that crap about me?"

She didn't reply, staring down at her laptop and then her eyes flitted to the clock and then to the coffee table where her phone was and next to it her memory stick. Mark was quicker though and grabbed both, snapping the memory stick with his bare hands and flinging her phone against the wall where it smashed to smithereens. Only then did he see a flicker of fear on her face as he whirled round to face her.

"I told you that I didn't ever want to see any stories about me or those I love, girl," he said, his anger once again under tight control.

"Well thanks to your acts of vandalism there isn't likely to be a story, is there?" she suddenly spat at him. Mark was taken aback for a moment that she would still be defiant. He crossed the room and suddenly his hand was around her throat, choking her. She fought him though and he slammed her back against the wall, winding her. Fury surged through him and he shifted his grip to her upper arm and dragged her from the house to his car, where he flung her into the passenger seat, locking the doors so that she couldn't open her own door.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"You've got one hell of a lot of explaining to do, girl and I don't want interrupting by anyone," he snapped. He turned the key in the ignition. "Put your belt on."

She obeyed him, silently, wondering why he should care if she was strapped in or not. Tears formed in her eyes as she glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Two o'clock; in just an hour he would be on the phone to the hospice. Mark didn't speak and she could see the white of his knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel. She had a good idea of where they were heading for and knew it would be at least another forty five minutes before they got there.

"I need to make a phone call," she said, suddenly. Mark ignored her, but his grip on the wheel seemed unbelievably to tighten. "Mark, please." He half turned and glared at her.

"Forget it," he said. She fell silent, tears now dripping down her cheeks. Mark ignored her sniffing next to him and didn't speak to her again for the remainder of the journey. He pulled up outside the lodge and she stared around miserably, knowing they were completely alone.

Mark released her arm and then locked the door behind him, putting the key in his pocket. Dolly rubbed her arm and moved away from him, but he stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to use the bathroom," she replied, angrily, stomping away from him.

"Well, don't get any ideas," he replied. "Every window is locked and there is no one about for miles. We need to talk."

Dolly glared at him.

"Who on earth would I go to anyway? Just leave me alone." Her anger took him by surprise; he had expected her to be a little more subdued here; maybe even afraid, but she wasn't. She remained as strong as ever, despite the tears he could see in her eyes. The tears he had realised were frustration more than anything. He waited for her to come back and after several minutes she emerged from the bathroom, her tears gone.

"I need to make a phone call," she said.

"I'll bet you do," said Mark, glaring at her. He folded his arms across his chest. "The only person you will be speaking to, girl, is me."

"I have a name," she muttered. She looked across at him and he saw something like hatred burning in her eyes, which took him aback.

"Dolly, what the hell is this all about?" he said. "Why have you done this?"

"I have my reasons," she replied, vaguely.

"Well you'd better start filling me in, or I'll..."

"You've done quite enough," she replied, coldly.

"You were going to ruin our lives, Dolly!" he roared. "I probably saved your damn life! If that article had been published, Paul would have had you killed!"

"I wish he had! I wish you'd killed me! Then maybe he would..." she broke off abruptly.

"He? Who? Who are you so frightened of?" Unbelievably he felt a wave of compassion.

"At the moment? You," she replied. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Do to you?" Mark sounded confused. "You think I brought you here to hurt you?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Of course the thought wouldn't have entered your head," she said, sarcastically. Her stomach was bruised from where she had fallen against the couch and her arms were a mass of black and blue where he had grabbed her. Her throat was red and would bruise later and she was finding it hard to swallow. But his face and arms bore the marks of her own nails.

"I brought you here because I want the truth, Dolly."

"No you don't," she replied. "Look, I really need to use a phone. Please, Mark. Just let me make a phone call and then I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"I told you, no phone calls!" he snapped. "Now start talking!"

Dolly stared across at him and then turned away, quite deliberately. Mark's anger flared and he stormed across the room, grabbing her shoulder and whirling her round to face him, bringing his hand back. She gasped and stepped back, reminded unpleasantly of their first meeting. Mark's eyes registered confusion and he dropped his hand, then stormed away from her to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Dolly sat down in the kitchen, with a glass of water, her mind working ten to the dozen. She had to do something; she had no doubt that Austin would have made the phone call to the hospice by now and she would not be able to stop him without a phone. Perhaps she could ring the hospice, stall things, ask them to send the bills to her. She would worry about how she would pay them later. Anything was better than putting her mother through a move. She got up and walked through to the hallway, trying the door uselessly, knowing it to be locked and then her eyes found Mark's jacket hanging up, his mobile in the inside pocket, forgotten in his anger. She glanced up the stairs and heard the shower running. He wouldn't hear her from there.

Without considering the possible consequences, she dialled the hospice number quickly, knowing it off by heart.

"Hello, this is Deborah James. I was just ringing to see how Marie Austin is?" she said, as quietly as she could. The receptionist said that she would put her through to her mother's nurse. Dolly stifled the fear that welled up in her; she was never put through to the nurse.

"Ms James?"

"Yes, is everything alright?" she asked.

"Your mother has taken a turn for the worst, I'm afraid. If you could get here as soon as possible, the next twenty four hours will be critical. We had been trying to get hold of you."

"My phone is broken," she said, softly. The shower had stopped, but she didn't notice. "Is... is it really that bad?"

"I'm sorry, Ms James. I wish I could say something different. Can you get here tonight?"

"I... I'll do my best," she said, closing the phone softly. From the top of the stairs, Mark looked down at her, angrily. She had defied him again, taken his phone and... his train of thought was broken as she suddenly dissolved into sobs, curling up on the bottom step. He went down the stairs softly and looked down at her.

"I'm sure I said no phone calls," he said, but there was no anger in his voice now. She got to her feet abruptly and whirled round, striking him with all her strength across the face. Mark staggered back and stared at her.

"You idiot!" she screamed. "You and your idiot boss... You have no idea what you've done! I hate you! I hate you!" There was so much venom in her tone that Mark just stared for a long time and then he grabbed her hands to prevent her from landing another blow, as she ran at him, pummelling him with her fists. He held her and suddenly she collapsed against him, tears streaming down her face.

Half an hour later, she was sat at the table, a steaming cup of coffee in front of her, while Mark stood at the opposite side of the room, watching her confused.

"Dolly, you have to tell me what is going on," he said, softly. His anger had gone completely; there was a lot more to this than he had thought. "Who were you on the phone to?"

"I need to go," she said.

"I can check, just by ringing the number, but it would be nice if you could be honest with me for once," he said. She looked at him and saw for the first time the raw hurt on his face. It suddenly occurred to her that he was hurting just as much as she was.

"I guess I owe you that much. I needed to ring the hospice."

"Hospice?" He stared at her; this was not what he had expected at all.

"My mother is in a private hospice. She has been there for quite some time. My... her husband pays for it."

"I thought your father was dead?"

"That man is not my father," she replied, venomously.

"Stepfather?" Mark was thoughtful. "Who is your stepfather, Dolly?"

"John Austin," she replied, softly. Mark nodded, as all the pieces slipped into place. The trip to London when she had been drugged. The article that she had been forced to write. He knew that Austin had history with Paul Wright, though not the precise details of that history. "He told me that if I didn't write the story he would withdraw funding for the hospice; have my mother moved. I knew that such a move would hurt her, maybe... well maybe it doesn't matter now."

"Jeez, Dolly, why on earth didn't you tell me all of this?" he demanded. Dolly stared down at her cup.

"Because there was always something going on with Eloise and Kane; you had enough on your plate. And... I didn't want to lose you. I guess it's too late now."

She bowed her head to hide her tears and took a deep breath. Mark didn't reply; for once he didn't know what to say. She looked across at him.

"I know I don't deserve to ask you for anything, Mark, but please, will you take me to the hospice? I need to see my mother."

Mark nodded. He went upstairs to get his car keys and glanced in the mirror, seeing how red his face was; Dolly packed quite a punch when she wanted to.

"Mom?" Dolly's voice was soft and Mark could tell she was holding back her tears. She caught hold of Marie's hand, but there was no response from the figure on the bed. The nurse smiled down at her sympathetically and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll wait for you outside," she said. Mark followed her out.

"Excuse me," he said. "Can you tell me if John Austin has been contacted?"

"Her husband?" The nurse managed to keep a professional tone of voice, but Mark caught the expression on her face. "He was contacted several hours ago but hasn't arrived yet."

"I see," said Mark.

"I'm just glad that Ms James has someone else to lean on. It's so difficult for families at times like this and trying to bear the burden on your own is unspeakable." The nurse squeezed Mark's arm. "She's lucky to have you. I've heard her talk about you sometimes; she really loves you." As the nurse walked away, Mark stared after her. He felt a surge of guilt. If he hadn't destroyed her phone maybe she could have been here before her mother lost consciousness.

"I've ruined everything, Mom," said Dolly, softly. "I just wanted to protect you, that's all. If I'd only put the money away like I should have done... or taken that job in London when it was offered, we wouldn't have needed him at all. And now he's destroyed me completely. I've lost Mark and now... now I'm going to lose you too." Mark heard her and felt tears in his eyes.

"My little Dolly," whispered Marie, opening her eyes and giving her daughter a faint smile. "I will always be with you, no matter what." The words were a struggle but she forced them out. Dolly gripped her hand, tightly.

"Mom, I love you," she said, forcing herself to smile down at her mother.

"I love you too," she replied, so softly Dolly barely heard the words. Her eyes began to close and Dolly cried out for the nurse. As the nurses and a doctor rushed into the room, Dolly felt gentle hands pull her back. She turned towards Mark and buried her face against his chest, sobbing bitterly.

Kane leaned against the doorframe and looked at his brother stood by the window, completely silent. Other than the night he had returned from his lakeside retreat, he had barely spoken. Then he had told Kane everything, from start to finish, while Kane listened without interrupting. Since then, he had barely spoken, other than to answer questions directed at him. His phone was always in his hand though and he was constantly checking for missed calls. There were none. Once or twice he had tried going to her house, but there was never anyone there and the locks had been changed so his key did not work anymore and he had no intention of breaking in.

"You ok, bro?" said Kane. Mark looked across at him and shrugged.

"I messed up, big time," he said.

"Hey, she would have screwed you over. You weren't to know the circumstances," he replied, diplomatically. He hadn't said anything to Eloise who surprisingly hadn't commented on the fact that Dolly hadn't been anywhere near them in over a week.

"She had her reasons," said Mark. "She'll be organising the funeral now, probably on her own. I should be with her."

Kane didn't respond. He knew from experience how his older brother felt but if Dolly didn't want Mark around, he couldn't force himself on her.

"Dammit if I hadn't wrecked her phone, I would at least have her number!" Mark sighed deeply and then turned back to the window, silently contemplating the garden below.

"You ok, Mark?" He turned and saw Eloise standing in the doorway, holding Luke in her arms. "This came." She handed him an envelope. Mark looked at it; he didn't recognise the handwriting.

"Just to let you know the funeral of Marie Austin is to be held on Friday at 2pm at St Peter's chapel. Dolly would want you there."

There was no signature or anything to say where it had come from. It had been hand delivered though and Mark hurried to the front of the house, just in time to see an Audi convertible pulling away from the driveway. He smiled; Adrian had come good for once.

"You got a black tie, bro?" he asked, turning to Kane, showing him the piece of paper.

"Sure," said Kane. Eloise watched as Mark left the room and turned questioningly to Kane. He smiled at her. "Dolly's mother passed away. Someone just dropped him an invite to the funeral."

"Why isn't he with Dolly?" asked Eloise, surprised. "And why didn't you tell me?"

"She doesn't want a lot of fuss," said Kane. "You know how it is."

Mark went upstairs and hunted through his wardrobe until he found a black suit. He put the trousers in the press and then took a white shirt down to the kitchen to iron it. Rose took it from him.

"How is Miss Dolly?" she asked. "We haven't seen her in a while."

"She's not too good, Rose. Her mother passed away. It's the funeral tomorrow," said Mark.

"Poor girl. She'll be needing plenty of support; losing a mother is such a hard thing for a young girl to go through."

Mark nodded, his eyes clouding as he thought of her in the hospice, sobbing against him and then the silent drive back to her house. She hadn't contacted him since, making herself unavailable to him in every sense. He had sent her flowers and the florist had rung to say that they couldn't be delivered; the house owner had said that the person they were for had moved out. The card he had sent had also been returned to him. She was effectively shutting him out as best she could.

The day of the funeral arrived. Mark entered the church when he had seen everyone else go past. He could see her on the front pew, sat upright in a black suit. Beside her, sat equally straight was a man with short dark, grey hair and he assumed this was John Austin, her step father. He recognised Adrian a few rows in front of him. The service was short and the vicar gave a detached eulogy based on what he had been told; he had never personally met Marie and thus had little to say other than that she had been a devoted mother and wife who would be deeply missed by her daughter and husband. When the service ended, Dolly followed her stepfather down the aisle, not looking either way, her head bowed. Mark saw how her face was ravaged with grief though and had to swallow the wave of pain he felt at it. He got to his feet and followed her out of the chapel, watching as her stepfather climbed into a chauffeur driven car without a backward glance, leaving Dolly to greet and speak to their guests alone.

"Dolly," he said, softly, as he approached her. She looked up at him and he saw the surprise on her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, coldly.

"How are you?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Mark, I'm sorry but I don't want to talk to you," she said. "I appreciate you coming, but I'd rather you left now, please." She looked up at him and Mark felt his heart lurch in his chest. She meant what she said.

"Fine, I'm sorry," he said. He walked away without another word.

"Are you sure that was the right thing to do, honeybee?"

Dolly turned to Adrian and grimaced.

"I just can't handle him on top of everything else," she replied. Adrian took her hand and squeezed it.

"Anthony said to take all the time you need before you come back to work," he said.

"That's nice of him, but I'll be back in on Monday. I don't want to sit around at home."

"Well, if you're sure," said Adrian.

"Positive," she replied, flashing him a weak smile as the next guest came to offer her condolences. Adrian stepped back and looked at her; he had never seen her looking so alone.

"I know something isn't right between you two," said Eloise. Kane had taken Luke out for a walk in his pram, giving her a couple of hours to herself and Mark was sat in the living room, staring out of the window listlessly.

"I don't want to talk, El," he said.

"No, probably not, but I do. She made you so happy, Mark. What happened between you two?"

"I screwed up," he replied, looking across at her. "No shock there, eh?"

"I never had you down as the self-pitying kind," said Eloise, sharply. Mark narrowed his eyes and she bit her lip, regretting her words. "I'm sorry, Mark. It's just that I can't imagine what it must be like for her to lose her mother and her boyfriend at the same time. You just seem to have given up."

"She won't speak to me, El. What am I supposed to do?"

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"And say what? Mark wants you back?"

"Well for a start. I haven't had a chance to offer her my condolences yet. I could call and see her maybe tomorrow? After I've given Luke his morning feed? I'll take him with me; be a great ice-breaker. I don't like seeing you like this, Mark."

"You should know something before you go over there," he said, suddenly. Eloise looked at him. "She was going to screw me over and Paul as well. Write a story about us that would have ruined him and probably me as well. I... well I dealt with it. And then I found out about her mother." He couldn't meet her gaze.

"Did you hurt her?" Eloise's tone was bitter and Mark nodded once. "Mark..."

"I smashed up her laptop and her phone. And I guess I threw her around a bit too."

"It's not a wonder she won't take your calls or see you," said Eloise.

"I know, I know," said Mark. "But if she had published that story, Paul would have had her killed! You know that as well as I do, El. I had to do something and she wasn't for taking the easy route. And I was so angry."

"Oh well that's ok then. Mark have you any idea the kind of damage you could have done to her?"

"You weren't there. She wasn't badly hurt and to be honest she probably hurt me as much as I hurt her." Eloise glanced at the bruise on his face that she hadn't questioned before, being quite accustomed to seeing him bruised or cut.

"Well, you probably deserved it," she grumbled. Mark smiled a little.

"Yes I did," he admitted. "I want to put things right with her, more than anything. I love her, El."

Eloise was silent for a moment, digesting what he had said.

"I will go and see her," she said, eventually. "But for her sake, not yours. And if she still wants you to stay away, you have to promise me that you will. Ok?"

"Fine," said Mark.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Eloise sat down in the chair and waited while Dolly went through to the kitchen to boil the kettle. She came back in and smiled at Eloise, a genuine, warm smile.

"He's grown," she said, gesturing at Luke. Eloise grinned.

"I know; he's going to be tall I think, like his dad."

Dolly smiled politely but didn't comment. She went through to the kitchen and brewed up, taking her time, wondering why Eloise had called to see her. She put their cups down on the coffee table and then curled up in the arm chair opposite. Eloise looked across at her critically. Dolly's hair was in a tangled ponytail and her face was white, black shadows under her eyes. She had lost weight as well and Eloise was certain she wasn't eating properly.

"I'm so sorry I hadn't been sooner," said Eloise. "I should have been at the funeral. How are you?"

Dolly grimaced but quickly composed herself.

"I'm fine. It wasn't exactly unexpected to be honest, so I'm fine."

"Come on, Dolly. I know from experience that losing your parents is the hardest thing you can go through and to do it on your own..."

"I'm not on my own," she said. "Adrian has been great and... my stepfather..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the lie, knowing it would be too transparent. "Tell me what you've been doing; how are you enjoying motherhood?"

"It's fantastic," said Eloise, a genuine smile plastering her face as she looked down at her son's face with unconcealed love. "I never thought I could love another person so much, but he's a part of me if that makes sense. I would do anything for him, anything."

"How's Kane?"

"Kane is great; he's a new age man," she giggled. "He changes nappies, gets up for night feeds and still remembers to give me a foot rub when I need it. He's been fantastic."

"And... Mark?" she said, glancing away from Eloise.

"He's a mess," said Eloise, honestly. "Dolly, what is this all about?"

"He must have told you what happened?"

"I want _you_ to tell me what happened," replied Eloise, standing up to put Luke in his pram, while she had her cup of coffee.

"He attacked me in my own home, Eloise. He destroyed my laptop and my phone. Then he basically kidnapped me and drove me up to his lakeside lodge and locked me in there. So what am I supposed to do?" she replied, softly.

"But why did he attack you?" asked Eloise.

"I knew he would have told you," said Dolly.

"He told me that you were going to have an expose published," she replied, quietly. Dolly seemed to whiten and she bowed her head, before looking up at Eloise.

"My stepfather can be very persuasive," she said. "My mom was so ill and I really didn't want her to be moved and he had such a hold over me. You have no idea, Eloise..." She broke off and looked away. Eloise got to her feet and crossed the room, sitting down beside Dolly and taking her hands in her own.

"Did he hurt you?" she asked.

"Mark?"

"No, John Austin."

"Not in the way you're thinking of, no," replied Dolly, with a wry smile. "Suffice to say he has always known exactly which buttons to press."

"You and Mark, is it over for good?" asked Eloise. Dolly hesitated before she answered and when she spoke, Eloise was surprised by what she said.

"Why would he want me? I betrayed him." Her voice was so small that for a moment Eloise wondered if she had misheard her, but then she heard a strangled sob and grabbed Dolly in a tight embrace.

"Of course he wants you! Dolly, he loves you. Will you at least agree to see him? Meet up with him so that you can talk things through properly?"

"Ok," sniffed Dolly. "But I'm not making any promises."

Eloise held her at arm's length and smiled, brightly.

"I wouldn't expect you to. But I can always hope."

Dolly pulled up outside the lodge and wondered again why she had agreed to this. She hadn't spoken to Mark at all yet; all messages had gone via Eloise, who had respected Dolly's wish that Mark not have her new number for the time being. She took a deep breath and then grabbed her overnight bag from the passenger seat. She could see Mark's car parked up already and wondered how long he had been here. The door opened before she reached it and she looked across at him, feeling her heart leap painfully in her chest at the sight of him, smiling across at her as if nothing had happened.

"Can I get your bag?" he asked.

"No, I can manage. Thank you." Her voice was cold and she saw him crumple a little.

"I'll put the kettle on," said Mark, heading back through the lodge and watching her head through to where the spare room was. She closed the door behind her and he sighed. This wasn't the best start.

When she emerged several minutes later, her hair was hanging in loose curls about her face and she had changed out of her office suit into some casual trousers and a green top. She stood in the doorway, watching as he poured their drinks and took hers from him wordlessly. They sat at the dining table, opposite one another in awkward silence for some time and then both spoke at once, which was actually something of an icebreaker. They smiled across at one another.

"You first," said Mark.

"No, you."

"Ok. Look, I am sorry for what I did to you. I should never have hurt you, darlin'. I just saw red when I overheard you at the hospital; there were Kane and El with their beautiful new son and my girlfriend was in the process of betraying me in the worst possible way. I just couldn't think why you would want to hurt me so much, Doll. I'm not sorry I smashed up your laptop, because as I said at the time if I hadn't Paul probably would have killed you. And I'm not really sorry about your phone, except of course that the hospice couldn't get hold of you, but I am sorry for what I did to you. And I can't begin to tell you how bad I feel that I wasn't with you every step of the way after your mom passed away."

"That's a lot to apologise for, big man," she murmured. He heard her affectionate name for him and felt his lips twitch into a small smile. "Can I have another coffee?"

"Sure," said Mark, taking her cup, brushing her fingers as he did so with his own. Dolly withdrew though and looked away.

When Mark set another cup in front of her, she half smiled.

"My turn, I guess," she said. "I am sorry for what I was going to do, but I did have my reasons."

"Your mom?"

"That was a big part of it yes. I didn't have the best childhood, Mark. My stepfather was... abusive would be the wrong word but you get the idea."

"He hurt you?"

"Never personally. He was very good at manipulating situations so that I came out worst. And when I was a child he could basically frighten me into submission. I once came home from school to find that everything had been taken out of my room; all my toys, games, books, the works. I can't even remember what I was supposed to have done but I remember him locking me in the room and telling me I wouldn't be coming out in a hurry. I was eleven years old for crying out loud!"

Mark was silent, feeling a wave of anger burning through him at the thought of her as a small child being frightened by someone like John Austin.

"My dad was such a warm, loving man and when John came along I was still young enough to hope that he would replace my daddy. But he was cold, so cold. He married my mom because she was so beautiful, I'm sure of it. She used to be a model you know. When I was older, he would make it clear that nothing I did was ever good enough. I was a straight A student, but he was never complimentary about any of my school achievements. Mom used to be thrilled with everything and would buy me little gifts. He found out once. She had bought me a beautiful crystal ornament, shaped like a heart. He was furious; said she had wasted money on tat and he picked it up and threw it across the room. It smashed on the wall just behind her head. I was terrified he would hurt her and I remember running at him, but she stopped me, catching me before I could reach him. He didn't react, just walked out. I don't know when he came back..." She broke off and Mark saw that there were tears in her eyes. Unthinking, he reached across the table and took her hands, surprised by how cold they were.

"You're frozen, Doll. Let me switch the fire on; we'll go through to the living room."

She withdrew her hands from his and followed him into the living room, gripping her coffee in both hands.

"Was he always like that?" asked Mark.

"There was always the threat of violence, but he never hit either of us. Maybe it was worse believing that he might. We were always afraid of him. Especially me, because I knew how much he would hurt my mother if he ever left. She worshipped him and I remember promising myself from an early age that I would never let a man have that much control over me."

"I see," said Mark. He glanced away, his hopes suddenly dashed.

"When I qualified as a journalist, he employed me straight away, which I was very surprised by. But it didn't take long to figure out why; he soon had me covering the most dangerous stories he could find."

"Why did he do it?" asked Mark. "I mean why did he hate you so much?"

"He doesn't hate me as such; he's just a very cold and hard man. I guess Mom and I gave him something to play with in a twisted way. But then on the other hand, I think he did love her at one time. Maybe I just got in the way." She bowed her head and sighed. "As soon as I could move out I did, hence the biker shows and the travelling I did before I got my job. Then Mom got ill and I had to rely on him to protect her. He paid for the hospice and well you know the rest."

Mark was silent, digesting what she had said. After a while, he glanced across at her.

"So, where does that leave us?" he asked. Dolly didn't meet his eye.

"Do you mind if I get an early night? It's been a hell of a day at work. I'm really tired."

"Dolly..."

"I came here to explain, Mark. I didn't make any promises. I'm just not sure that this is the right time for me to be in a relationship with anyone. I just lost Mom and ..." She broke off and swallowed the grief that rose within her and then spoke again. "So if you don't mind I'm going to go to bed, get some sleep and I'll be out of your hair by morning. Night."

She left the room without giving him a chance to respond. Mark watched her go, too stunned to respond and after a few minutes, got numbly to his feet and opened the drinks cabinet. He poured himself a whiskey, downed it in one and then poured another. He had no idea how he found his way to bed, but woke in the morning with his head thudding and his heart feeling like it had been put through a shredder.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Dolly stretched when she got up and rubbed her eyes, taking a moment to work out where she was and then her heart sank. Why had se agreed to this? And why on earth had she brushed him off with such finality? She went into the shower room and stood under the water, letting it wash her emotions away until she felt numb again. Or at least the pain had dulled to an ache. She dried and dressed quickly, spending a little time drying her hair and twisting it into the clip. Before she was ready, there was a knock at her door. She sighed as Mark stuck his head round the door.

"You decent?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I brought you a coffee," he said. She took it from him silently, looking across at him with narrowed eyes. "I got bad news, Doll." The look on his face suggested anything but bad news though and she looked confused.

"What?" she asked. Mark went across to the window and opened the curtains. Dolly looked out and groaned; the air was thick with snow and when she went to look closer, she could see that the road was too. It wouldn't be safe to drive, that was for sure.

"I have plenty of provisions in; we'll be ok," said Mark.

"That's hardly the point, Mark, is it?" she asked.

"It's the weekend, Doll, not like you'd be working."

"Again, not the point."

Mark took her meaning, but chose to ignore it. Instead, he grunted at her and then walked out, shutting the door behind him with a bang. Dolly flinched but then scowled.

"What do I need to say to get through his thick skull?" she muttered. She sat down on the bed and as her anger died away, she felt tears burning her eyes. At one time this would have been an ideal situation, snowed in with the man she loved... No she couldn't think like that. He was supposed to have been a job, not a serious relationship. What had changed? He had asked her to move in with him; he had intimated marriage. And she had been foolish enough to get caught up in it. She couldn't get caught up in it. Look at her mother and her experience. She couldn't have found a harder, more unbending man to love. And Dolly couldn't make the same mistakes. Mark was loving and clearly felt a lot for her, but on the other hand he was a violent, paid thug, who probably wouldn't think twice about physically hurting her if she did something to anger him.

After an hour, she felt hungry and thirsty and decided it was time to leave the confines of her room. She came out quietly and headed for the kitchen. Mark was sat at the table, flicking through a newspaper from the day before.

"Is it ok if I get something to eat?" she asked, quietly. Mark didn't look up, just gestured at the kitchen with his hand. She bit her lip and went in, switching on the kettle. She leant against the counter, with her back to him, feeling the atmosphere harden; tension you could cut with a knife.

"Do you want anything?" she asked.

"I'll sort myself out," he said, a hard edge to his tone that she hadn't heard before. She scowled and made herself a sandwich, then feeling antagonistical, she sat down opposite him at the table. Mark glared across at her, as she ate and then got up as the kettle finished boiling. He made two coffees and slammed hers down in front of her, splashing it across the table. Dolly didn't flinch though; just looked across at him with something like disgust on her face.

"Thank you, but I prefer my coffee in a cup," she said, picking up her cup and going back into the kitchen to top up her cup with hot water. Mark scowled; his head was still thumping from the whiskey the night before and the last thing he needed was Dolly trying to get a rise out of him. Dolly was so frustrated by the snow that she needed someone to take it out on and Mark was the only person available.

"Surprised you're so calm about this weather; surely there's someone you could be beating up tonight," she said, flippantly, as she came back to the table. Mark's eyes widened and he looked up at her.

"That'll be your problem then? No one's life to make a misery of today? Just mine?" he snapped back.

"Yes this would make quite a story wouldn't it," she replied, darkly. This hit a little too close for comfort though and Mark slammed his chair back. He took a step towards her and she flinched. Seeing the tremor of fear on her face, he stalked out of the room and she heard him stamping up the stairs and then his bedroom door slammed shut with a crash. She then heard another crash as if he had thrown something across the room and she got to her feet, hastily. Hurriedly, she ran through to her own room and threw her things into her bad; the road couldn't be that bad. Maybe she could walk to the nearest town and find a B&B. It was only about three miles. She pulled on her coat and trainers and threw her bag over her shoulder.

Mark heard the front door close and got up from his bed, looking out through the window to see Dolly heading out into the snow storm. He grimaced at the thought of her getting lost in the snow and threw on his coat, following her out. The snow was so thick he couldn't see which way she had gone. He floundered for a moment and then spotted her red coat up ahead. He strode after her and caught up with her quickly, grabbing her arm, firmly.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"Away from you," she snapped, struggling against him. Mark did not loosen his grip though and pulled her after him, back to the lodge.

"Get inside!" he said, practically flinging her through the door. "Are you stupid?"

"Don't speak to me like that! How dare you? Keep your hands off of me."

"What the hell were you doing out there? You can't drive in this!"

"I wasn't going to. I was going to walk to the next village and check into a B&B," she retorted.

"Great idea. Walk five miles through the blizzard, hoping not to get lost. So much for a straight A student; clearly they didn't teach you any commonsense." His tone was filled with venomous sarcasm and Dolly felt tears pricking her eyes. Mark saw them and felt a pang of guilt; Dolly never cried. She went to walk away from him, but he stopped her; this time his hand was gentle on her arm. "I'm sorry, Doll, but I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you. If you want me to stay away from you I will, ok? Just don't go out until this snow has gone."

He went to walk away, but stopped when she gulped back a sob. He turned back to her and saw the raw anguish on her face. Without thinking, he grabbed her and pulled her to him for a tight embrace. Dolly fell against him, wrapping her arms around him and sobbed bitterly.

Mark held her close to him until she quietened and then sat down on the sofa with her, keeping his arm around her. She was silent, but she didn't pull away from him. He kissed the top of her head, gently, as she leant against his shoulder.

"How did this happen, Mark?" she suddenly whispered. He looked down at her.

"I don't know. Weather forecast didn't even predict this..."

"I didn't mean the weather. I meant us," she said, softly.

"Oh."

They were both silent, unconsciously leaning into one another.

"I never meant to hurt you, or betray you," she said, suddenly.

"I know," he said.

"Do you hate me?"

"Hate you? Of course not! Dolly, I love you. That hasn't changed." He leaned back a little to look at her and smiled slightly. "I was kind of hoping that we could sort things out while we were here. That maybe we could get back on track?"

"But why?" she asked, sounding genuinely confused. "Mark, surely you can do better than me."

"I don't think you're listening to me, girl. I love you. I don't want anyone else, ever. Just you."

"After what I did?" He could see the hope in her eyes and his smile widened.

"What you did, you did for your mother. It was a selfless act. Doll, I could have killed you and you knew that."

His reference to his work made her shiver. He saw this and his eyes narrowed a little, the smile dying from his lips.

"But now you need to know I would never hurt you; never."

"Even if I make you mad?" she asked.

"I will never hurt you, Deborah," he said, firmly and his use of her name made her shiver again.

"So... do you still want us to move in to the cottage together?" she asked, softly.

Mark leapt to his feet, picking her up and spinning her round in his arms.

"Yes!" he cried. "Yes, definitely!" She laughed, as he hugged her close to him and then kissed her on his lips, feeling his joy as she responded.

Later that night, when Dolly was tucked up in their bed, fast asleep, Mark stole out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He had something else on his mind.

"So what d we do about this Austin character?" he said, quietly. There was a pause at the end of the line.

"It's not as straightforward as I would like, son," said Paul.

"Why? What do you know about this man, Paul?" asked Mark.

"He is dangerous, Mark. As dangerous as we are, maybe more so. He would not hesitate to kill you both if he believed you thwarted his will, especially now that Marie is dead. She was the only person he ever loved to my knowledge and with her gone, Dolly will not have the protection from him that she once had."

"But why does he hate her so much?"

"Because he had to share Marie with her and because she reminded him that he was not Marie's first love. He's a very hard man."

"So there's nothing I can do then?" said Mark, the disappointment clear in his tone. Paul sighed on the other end of the phone.

"Leave it with me," he said, eventually. "I'll put the feelers out."

"Thanks Paul." Mark hung up and scowled. He had hoped for a more definitive answer, but it would appear that was all he was getting for now.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Dolly sighed as she looked round the room. The cottage was complete, its decor in keeping with the age of the property. She loved the quirky shape of the rooms and the comfortable, country styled furnishings that she and Mark had picked for it. Especially the four-poster bed in their own room. She smiled at the thought of it and hugged herself. Things seemed to be improving steadily. John Austin had been in touch twice since the funeral; once about her mother's will and once to tell her that he was satisfied that she no longer needed to pursue her story about Mark. What had prompted this she wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to argue. Mark was out, most probably on a job, but she had learnt not to ask and to try to ignore it when he was limping or bruised after a bad job. He asked no questions about her work and she asked none about his; that had been their agreement when they moved in together... and when he had placed the diamond ring on her finger the night they moved in. She glanced down at it now, a slight smile as she looked at the heart shaped stone that he had picked, reminding her of the crystal her mother had once bought her. She remembered how nervous he had been when he showed it to her, fearing she might be offended, but the tears that sprung to her eyes were tears of joy. Adrian had been more excited than she was when he saw the ring, thrilled that "Ape Man" had finally proposed. And he had been doubly thrilled when she asked him to give her away.

She was broken from her thoughts by a knock on the door. She reluctantly got up from the couch, placing her glass of wine on the coffee table, then opening the front door.

"Paul, what can I do for you?" she asked, stunned to see him on her doorstep.

"Forgive the intrusion, my dear. I need to speak to you," he said. "Can I come in?"

Dolly narrowed her eyes, suspiciously, but then opened the door to admit him. Paul followed her through to the living room.

"Can I get you a drink?" she asked, coldly polite.

"No thank you. This is a flying visit. I had a call from your father."

"Really? That would have taken some doing; my father is dead."

"Your step-father then," said Paul, allowing her tone of voice to slide for now.

"What did he want?" she asked, feigning disinterest, though her heart was thudding uncomfortably in her chest at the thought of Austin speaking to Paul.

"John and I go way back," said Paul, conversationally.

"He seemed to forget that when he was asking me to write a story about you that would have had you lynched," she replied. Paul looked across at her and for the first time she saw a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. She refused to allow him to see that he was making her nervous though.

"Yes, like I say, John and I go way back," he repeated, covering his brief moment of annoyance. "We made an agreement; he will no longer demand any stories about my business."

"And what did he want in return? He never gives anything away for free," she replied.

"That is the question, isn't it? What would John Austin want in return for leaving me and my boys alone?" Dolly felt a tremor of fear at his words and looked across at him through round eyes. "He needed protection. A man who does his job meets a lot of enemies. So I have given him protection. That's it. Nothing for you to worry about."

"I don't believe it's that easy to get him off my back," said Dolly.

"No, it wasn't. The other condition was that you no longer work for him all the time you are with Mark."

"What?" she cried. Paul scowled at her.

"I don't want Mark's fiancée working for that scumbag," he said, his tone vehement.

"And what about what I want?" asked Dolly.

"You wanted to carry on working for Austin?"

"I think you are missing the point," she replied, fighting the wave of fury that was fast rushing through her. "My job is nothing to do with you or your boys!"

"There really is only one other option for you then, my dear," he said.

"Oh really?" This time she didn't bother to hide her contempt. Paul crossed the room more swiftly than she would have imagined he could and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"You know how I feel about you and your line of work, Deborah," he snarled. "Nothing would make me happier than to see you walk out of my boy's life and go back to your nasty little job."

Dolly wrenched away from him and stared, open mouthed. She recovered herself quickly though and took a step back away from him, fighting the urge to rub her face where his fingers had bruised her.

"And what does Mark think about your plan?" she asked.

"My boy will do what I tell him to. You have no idea who you are messing with. Mark owes me his loyalty and don't you forget that!"

"Really? The man who stood by while his wife burnt his home and his family? I'm sure he'd choose you over me." Her tone was bitterly sarcastic and Paul turned white with rage.

"You know nothing about my wife! I strongly suggest that you get out of Mark's life and go back to your lonely little house. He is too good for the likes of you and you know it. How long do you think it will be before he tires of you? He goes through women like most men go through socks. The only constant in that boy's life is me! I'm doing you a favour, trust me."

Dolly was silent for a moment, regarding him with a steadiness that surprised him. She was clearly stronger than he had thought.

"Do you know, maybe you have done me a favour? Perhaps working for Austin wasn't a good move. I'm sure I could get a job working for any paper. I have a pretty good reputation in my nasty line of work. But one thing you really need to be sure of, Paul. I won't be leaving Mark. And as for him growing bored of me or leaving me, I'm sure you'll recall that when I left him, he couldn't wait to get me back. I love Mark and I am going to marry him, whether you approve of me or not. Now get out of my house!"

Paul stared at her for a moment and she could see his hand twitching at his side. She kept her gaze steady on him though and he turned on his heel and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Putting her fist to her mouth to prevent the scream she could feel building, Dolly followed him and locked the door securely, before falling to the floor sobbing bitterly.

"You ok, darling? You're very quiet tonight," commented Mark, glancing across at his fiancée from the table where he was sat with the newspaper spread in front of him. Dolly was sat in the chair by the window, her knees tucked up to her chest, staring out into their garden. She didn't immediately respond, but then she turned to face him. Mark looked across at her and his eyes suddenly narrowed. He got up and crossed the room, placing a gentle hand on her face, turning it towards the light.

"Doll, what happened?" he asked. She turned away though before he could see the tears stinging in her eyes.

"Nothing," she muttered. Gently, he turned her back to face him again and was surprised to see she was crying. He pulled her close to him, but she remained stiff in his arms.

"Right, enough, tell me what's happened," he said, letting go of her. "I can see that someone has hurt you. Who did this? Someone you wrote about? Austin?"

She laughed a little darkly.

"Austin? He has never laid a finger on me, you know that."

"Don't make me guess, Deborah," he said, quietly. Dolly flushed a little and then sighed.

"Your guard-dog turned up, told me he's had me sacked and if I want to keep my job, I have to walk out on you," she said in a rush, the words tripping over themselves to escape her lips. For a long time Mark stared at her, disbelief clear on his face. He stepped back and suddenly his eyes filled with fury. Before she could stop him, he had stormed out of the cottage, slamming the door behind him. Her heart pounding in her chest, Dolly stood completely still for several minutes and then slowly she sat down again. She knew him well enough to know there was no point in trying to go after him. Mark would do things his own way whether she liked it or not.

"What the hell are you playing at?" demanded Mark, pacing up and down in front of Paul's desk, while the other sat calmly watching him.

"Your fiancée needs to know what's what, my boy. She is far too sure of herself and you know how I feel about her line of work. She isn't good enough for you, Mark."

"I asked for your help getting Austin off her back and you walked into our home and you put your hands on her! You are way out of line, Paul!" snapped Mark.

"Maybe things did get a little heated, but..."

"There are no buts, Paul. If you ever put your hands on Dolly again I will put my hands on you; is that clear?"

Paul was silent for a moment, for the first time looking a little flustered and then he gave a curt nod.

"Fine. Maybe I did go a little too far, but she needed to understand the danger she puts you in with her little stories..."

"Dolly hasn't written about me. She wouldn't. She told me the truth about what was going on and you know as well as I do that that was Austin, not her. She was forced, Paul, by a man she was afraid of. He had threatened to withdraw funding for her mother; what was she supposed to do? What would you have done?"

"I'll say one thing for her; she's a plucky little thing," said Paul, with grudging respect, surprising Mark a little. "Now, my boy, sit down. You are making me dizzy with all that pacing. We will talk about this like men, not children. I apologise if I hurt Deborah; that was not my intention."

"It's not me you need to apologise to," growled Mark, but he sat down anyway. Paul leaned back in his chair ad steepled his fingers as he looked across at his protégé.

"Austin is a piece of work, Mark, as I'm sure you know. I went to see him after our last conversation. He hasn't changed much in the last forty years; maybe a touch colder, more calculating. He's a very intelligent man, my boy. A dangerous enemy and unfortunately for your fiancée, she would seem to fit the bill."

"I knew all that before," said Mark, dismissively. "I just need him off her back."

"Mark, there's something you should remember about him; he has an obsessive nature. He won't leave her alone; in his eyes she stopped his wife from entirely devoting herself to him. The only thing that stopped him from directly gaining revenge on her was his love for her mother. And now Marie is dead."

"How can he resent her just for being born?" demanded Mark, running a frustrated hand through his hair and getting to his feet again, resuming pacing across the room.

"Austin has always been unbelievably selfish. He wouldn't see that she was just a child; just that she stood in his way. He wanted to move abroad when he and Marie married but she wouldn't because of Deborah. And then when Deborah left home, she fell ill and travel became impossible. He told me in no uncertain terms that he will always have an eye on her whatever we do. He has no fear of us and that is what causes the problem."

Mark was silent for a long time and then he turned to look directly at Paul, his eyes narrowed to slits. Paul shifted on his chair; he had only seen that look on Mark's face once before.

"If the only way to stop this is to finish him; I'll do whatever it takes," he said. Paul sighed deeply.

"That isn't the answer, son, and you know it. I have some excellent contacts, but so does Austin. It would never stop."

Mark was silent and then he turned away.

"Let's meet again in a week, son. Give me some time to figure this out," said Paul. Mark nodded curtly and then turned on his heel, as Paul picked up his phone.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

"I don't know what to do with myself, Adrian," she said, softly. Adrian looked across at her and sighed.

"What does Ape Man say?" he asked. She smiled a little as he had known she would.

"Nothing really. He's been working a lot. He said to just take some time off for now and we'll try and sort something out when we can. I guess maybe I need some time off anyway; you were right when you said that I should take some time for myself after Mom. But I just don't know what to do. What did Anthony say?"

"He said that he'd lost his best journalist; honestly Dolly he fought it. I heard him on the phone to Austin, demanding an explanation. Austin was adamant though and Anthony has been like a bear with a sore head ever since."

Dolly half smiled at this and then sighed deeply.

"When is Mark home?"

"Day after tomorrow. And Kane and Eloise have gone for a weekend away, so there's just me here. It's kind of lonely with them all away. I'm so glad you've come over."

Adrian leaned across and took her hand.

"Come on, honeybee; I've never known you give up so easily. Surely you have a plan up your sleeve; some way of winning the boss over?"

"He fired me! For no good reason! What am I supposed to do? It's not as if I can sue him is it?"

"But he is family..."

"No!" she said, vehemently. "He is not my family! The day Mom died all family ties between that man and me were cut forever!"

"But for the sake of your career, might it not be worth contacting him? Talking things through? Maybe appealing to his better nature?"

"He doesn't have one," she muttered.

"But he loved your mom. That must mean something?"

Dolly was silent, chewing her lip thoughtfully. She went across the room and picked up her phone, a look of determination on her face. Adrian watched as she selected John Austin from her contacts and leaned back in his seat. Dolly turned away from him, as Austin's clipped tones came over the phone.

"Deborah, what a pleasant surprise."

"Why have you fired me?" she asked, bluntly.

"Non fulfilment of contract," he replied, straight away. "You failed to give me my big story; I am quite within my rights."

"But I thought you said I didn't need to do the story..."

"You have that in writing, do you?"

"You know I don't," she replied, bitterly.

"There is nothing you can do, Deborah, unless..."

"Unless what?" she said.

"Leave him; walk out on the love of your life and feel how much it hurts when you can't have the one person you want."

She froze at his words; the echo of what Paul had said in her ears.

"Why would you want me to do that? Why do you want me to be unhappy?"

"Because you took her love for me away. Marie and I would have been everything to one another without you, Deborah. You were always getting in the way and then when you left home all she did was worry about you; that's probably what made her so ill," he replied, in an icy tone.

"How dare you? How dare you blame me for Mom's illness! You know what, stick your job; I wouldn't work for a lowlife piece of crap like you anyway! Mom knew what you were deep down and you should know she didn't even mention you when she died. She probably only stayed with you because she knew no one else would have you..."

"Deborah." The sharp tone of his voice silenced her mid-rant. "I would strongly suggest you apologise this instant."

Dolly was silent, tears of rage clouding her eyes. Adrian was standing behind her, his hand on her shoulder, eyes wide with shock at her outburst.

"I see. Well, you need not think this is the end of the matter, Deborah. I always said you should be taught some manners." He hung up and left Dolly standing, shaking like a leaf.

"Honeybee, that might not have been the most sensible conversation you could have had with him," said Adrian, softly. He pulled her close to his chest in a warm embrace, but Dolly remained stiff in his arms, shocked to her core by what she had said.

"Hey, how's my little Doll?" Mark's cheerful voice on the end of the phone made Dolly clutch to her mobile tightly.

"I'm good; enjoying the peace and quiet," she replied, fighting to keep her tone light.

"Not missing me then?"

"Of course I am; when will you be home?" She wasn't quite able to keep the longing from her voice this time and she bit her lip, waiting for him to respond.

"Just another couple of days, darlin'. This is taking longer than we thought. I never knew that gym management could be so demanding." He chuckled as he said this and her lips curved in an answering smile, as she filled with warmness at his obvious interest in his new career.

"Are you enjoying it?"

"Yeah, it's been great! Even met up with a few old friends from the biker days. Seems gyms are popular with some of the old crowd. I even saw some folk who remember the pretty little pink haired girl; they didn't believe me when I said you're actually a brunette." He laughed again.

"Laugh it up, big man," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, Doll, I got to go; my food just arrived."

"Ok, enjoy. I'll talk to you later," she replied.

"Sure, I'll ring you at bed time," he said. "Love you, Dolly."

"Talk to you later," she replied, softly and hung up, wondering again why she hadn't said that she loved him in response; why those words were still so hard to say.

The clock was ticking loudly, its persistent noise filling the silence of the room, as she kept looking up. She bit back a dry laugh; here she was Deborah James, the woman who had sworn that she would not ever fall for a man sitting watching the clock and counting down the minutes until her fiancé arrived home. She hadn't known she would miss him so much. When there was a light knock at the door she sprang to her feet and then deliberately slowed down; she didn't want him to see how he affected her, needed to keep something of herself back.

"Forget your key, big man?" she asked, opening the door and turning away before he came through.

"Something like that," growled an unfamiliar voice. Dolly whirled round and gave a cry of shock, as a masked man pushed his way into the house. She went to rush away from him, but he grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her back to him, turning to slam the door firmly closed behind him. He tilted her head back, as her hands fought against the fist that twisted her hair agonisingly.

"Who are you?" she demanded, unable to keep the slight hitch from her voice. The man holding her tilted his head to one side and she found herself looking up at a red and black mask. He shifted his grip to her arm and yanked her down the hallway, back to the front room, where he pushed her inside. She whirled round and screamed as the man's closed fist connected with her jaw. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth and she staggered back into the table. Winded, she sank to her knees before fighting to get back to her feet. The man stalked across the room to her and then backhanded her savagely across her cheek.

This time Dolly didn't manage to get to her feet and lay on the floor where he had left her, half-dazed. The masked man leaned down to her and took a box of matches from his pocket. He lit one in front of her face and leaned in close enough that she could see the pair of vivid blue eyes behind the mask. As he dropped the match on the floor beside her, Dolly slipped into blessed unconsciousness.

"Kane?" Eloise went through to her fiancé's office, where she thought he had gone an hour ago to deal with an urgent phone call, but he wasn't there. She frowned, wondering where he could have got to and then she went through to the living room overlooking the gardens and squinted as she saw a column of smoke coming from the grounds; from the direction of the cottage. "Kane!" This time there was more urgency in her voice as she called.

"What's the matter?" he asked, a little grumpily, suddenly appearing at the door.

"There's smoke coming from the cottage," she replied.

"Smoke?" he echoed and looked towards the window. He headed for the door, whirling round as Eloise went to follow him. "Stay here, look after Luke. Phone the fire brigade." Without waiting for a response, Kane rushed out of the door and to the cottage, where he could see an orange glow coming from inside. He rushed to the door and found it already open, thankfully. Covering his face with his jumper, Kane headed into the smoke. He saw Dolly curled into a ball on the floor, as the air outside filled with sirens. Hastily, Kane rushed through the smoke and lifted Dolly up, carrying her out into the garden, away from the house. She coughed and stirred in his arms. As her eyes opened though she gave a cry of fear when she saw who was carrying her.

"It's alright, Dolly, I've got you," he said. A fire officer came across then, as the others gathered the hose and rushed to put out the fire, which luckily had not spread from the front room, being more smoke than anything else. There didn't appear to be much damage. Kane left them to their work and carried Dolly back up to the main house, where Eloise was waiting in the kitchen, her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes.

"Oh my God, Dolly," she gasped, as Kane helped Dolly into a chair. Eloise went across to her friend and stared at her face. "What happened to you?"

Dolly coughed and accepted the glass of water Kane handed her with a trembling hand.

"Ask him," she said hoarsely.

"Kane?" said Eloise, a puzzled look on her face. She turned to her fiancé, quizzically.

"When I got there she was on the floor, only just conscious," he said, with a shrug. He looked down at Dolly's face, seeing for the first time what a mess she was. He went to the freezer and took out an ice pack, handing it to Eloise. Dolly winced as Eloise placed the ice pack on her face.

"Mr Callaway?" A fire fighter appeared at the door and Kane went out to him, closing the door behind him.

"What happened?" asked Eloise, softly, tears shining in her eyes.

"He attacked me," she whispered. "Where's Mark? I want Mark."

Eloise looked at her and smiled sympathetically.

"Wait a minute, I'll call him," she said, picking up her mobile phone. "Mark? Hi. Where are you?"

Dolly listened vaguely, her eyes half closed. All she wanted was to sleep and wake up with this nightmare gone. How could she tell him that his brother had done this? The door was suddenly flung open and he was there in front of her, on his knees, grasping her hands and staring at her face.

"Darlin' what happened?" he said, softly, bringing a gentle hand to her cheek. She flinched at his touch and Mark dropped his hand. She stared at him and then suddenly sobbed, flinging herself into his arms.

"I thought it was you at the door... but it was a man... a man in a red and black mask... he attacked me and then he... he lit a match..."

Mark cursed, loudly and then headed out of the door, leaving Dolly trembling in the chair. She got up when she heard raised voices outside the house and went to the window, where she saw Mark grab Kane around the throat. The two men were locked together, with Mark pummelling his brother when Eloise rushed into the garden, as Dolly staggered out and leaned on the doorpost.

"Stop it! Stop it! Mark get off him!" cried Eloise, suddenly grabbing Mark from behind. He whirled and inadvertently knocked her to the floor.

"Mark!" cried Dolly and he stopped, fist raised. His arm dropped and he stepped back from his brother. Kane helped Eloise up and then rounded on his brother, furiously.

"What the hell was that all about?" he demanded.

"You! You did this to Dolly. Don't bother to deny it; a mask and a fire! What the hell is your problem, you pyromaniac freak?"

"Why would you say that?" asked Eloise, tears clouding her eyes, as she clung to Kane's arm.

"Because a man in a mask attacked my fiancée and nearly burnt down my home. Doesn't take a genius to work it out, does it?" snapped Mark.

"Why would I hurt Dolly?" asked Kane, managing to keep a lid on his simmering temper.

"I... I know it was you," stuttered Dolly, suddenly. "I saw you... in your mask..."

"If the man was wearing a mask, how can you be sure it was me?" asked Kane. He took a step towards Dolly, who shied away initially, but then suddenly looked directly at him, her eyes meeting his mismatched eyes curiously.

"It wasn't you," she said, surprise in her voice.

"What?" said Mark.

"The man who attacked me, he had blue eyes. It wasn't Kane."


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Mark sat on the sofa in Eloise's old sitting room, with Dolly's head cradled against his chest. She had been dozing for the last half hour and he hadn't the heart to move her. While she slept, he searched her face, his heart contracting at the bruising that was forming there already. She looked like she had done several rounds with a prize fighter. Gently, he brought his lips to her head and she stirred a little.

"Ok darlin?'" he asked.

She mumbled under her breath and he realised that she wasn't entirely awake.

"I'm going to carry you through to bed, darlin," he said, softly. She mumbled again, but didn't resist when he lifted her from the couch. As he laid her on the bed, Mark looked down at her thoughtfully. Once again he wondered who could have done this; who would have wanted to hurt her so badly. The problem was there were two definite suspects to his mind, but there were also many more because of the nature of her work. She had done three expose stories since he had met her, all high profile men; a celebrity, a politician and of course Simons, the military police officer. Any one of them could have done this or had it done. But primarily, the uncomfortable thought that this could have been someone closer to home made him scowl. Stealthily, he left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Kane appeared in the kitchen doorway, just as Mark sat down with a shot of whiskey in front of him on the table. When he saw the bruising around his brother's eye, Mark winced a little.

"I'm sorry, bro," he said, then shifted his gaze back to the glass in front of him. Kane shrugged and sat down on the chair opposite his older brother, with a sigh.

"Whoever did this knew her pretty well; knew that she would know me and knew that she would know my mask," he replied. "It was a set up designed to pull us apart, not just to damage her."

Mark looked up at Kane, confusion in his eyes.

"You think this was an attack on us?" he said.

"Think about it, Mark. If they wanted to just hurt her, they'd have broken in, done the deed and left. Why wear a mask and light a fire just big enough to scare her without causing any real damage?"

"To make it look as if it was you that had done it," said Mark, softly. Kane leaned back in his chair and nodded, his eyes darkening.

"Which means someone who knows us pretty well."

"Paul," breathed Mark. He got to his feet and began to pace the room, extremely agitated. "I know he can't stand her or the fact that we are together, but would he really go this far?"

"Paul can be heartless when it comes to business, you know that," replied Kane. "The question is what do we do about it?"

"We?" echoed Mark.

"You don't think I'm going to leave you to sort this on your own? If it was Paul, he used _my_ mask and _my_ identity. I like Dolly; I wouldn't hurt her. And think what El would do to me if I did." He was only half joking, as he thought of the way she had looked at him when Dolly had said that it was Kane who attacked her.

"So what do you have in mind?"

"We need to be very sure of our facts before we storm in and accuse Paul of anything," said Kane, thoughtfully.

Mark nodded and a bitter smile lighted on his lips.

"Just the kind of work for Dolly usually; a bit of digging to get to the truth of a matter."

"We need to keep both of them out of this. Maybe send them away for a few days?"

"No one knows where my lake house is," said Mark. "The girls can go there, with Luke and Kore."

"Good thinking. Kore is very well trained. You might not think it, but she could probably kill an intruder," replied Kane, thinking about his fiancée's German Shepherd.

"We'll get them there first thing in the morning; leave at about five."

"No," said Kane, "We will go out together early, leaving the girls here. Jacob ad Rose will then take them to the lodge. It makes more sense. If we take them, we'll be followed. They can get in the car in the garage and if Dolly keeps her head down, it will look as if they are taking Eloise and Luke out for the day."

Mark nodded, impressed with his brother's foresight. Kane suddenly smiled.

"And when this is all sorted, we will have a double wedding to remember," he said.

Dolly awoke with a start and groaned as every part of her body throbbed with pain. The room was empty for now and she got up from the bed and staggered across to the window, wanting some air. She pushed it open and stuck her head out, breathing in deeply. The door behind her opened and she started, violently.

"It's ok, darlin, it's only me." Mark came across and gently turned her to face him. He pulled her close and was gratified when she returned his embrace. "Come on, you need to sleep. Busy day tomorrow."

As he led her back to the bed, Mark softly outlined Kane's plan for the following day and she nodded. She was happy to go to the lake house while the brothers sorted this mess out; all of her drive had been beaten from her and she had no desire to be any part of what they planned.

Mark pulled the covers over her and then lay down beside her, gently stroking her hair until she fell fast asleep in his arms. When she woke the following morning, Mark and Kane were already gone.

Eloise had been surprised by just how cunning Jacob could be as he weaved from road to road, not allowing anyone to have a chance of following him as he made his way to the lake house. His speed alternated from annoyingly slow, leading to much tooting and overtaking from other vehicles to fast enough to make her eye her son in his car seat anxiously. When they finally arrived, Jacob carried their cases, which Rose had organised through to the bedroom. Eloise, Dolly and Luke would share Mark's room and Jacob and Rose would have the spare room downstairs. Kore had stationed herself by the door, laying across the threshold, eying the humans as they moved around unpacking, other than Dolly who sank into a chair in a daze.

Rose was suddenly in front of her, handing her a steaming cup of herbal tea. Dolly looked at it, blankly and Rose smiled.

"It's camomile, with a little honey to sweeten it. It'll do you good." She sat down in the chair opposite and narrowed her eyes slightly. "You know, I wasn't too sure about you and Mark when he first mentioned you; he's never been too good with women to be honest. But you've changed him; softened him somehow. And he needed that. He needed someone else to care for; stop him from being so selfish."

"Selfish?" Dolly echoed.

"Master Mark has always put himself first," she replied, gently. "Until he met you. You are very good for him."

"Thank you," she replied. She sipped the boiling drink in her hands and sighed. It was delicious and she could feel some of the tension lifting from her straight away. Eloise came in and flopped down on the sofa beside Dolly.

"Luke is still asleep from being in the car," she said. "I've left him to sleep for now in the bedroom. How you feeling, Dolly?"

"Ok, I guess," she replied, unconvincingly. "What do you think they'll do?"

Eloise sighed and struggled to keep the worry from her face and her voice.

"They'll do what they have to do I guess. When Rico... when he took me and they had to sort that out, they left most of it to the police. And then... I'm not sure how he died..." She broke off. It was still an effort to talk about what had happened with Rico and she tried hard not to think about him. Dolly sighed and squeezed her hand.

"This wasn't like Rico though," she said. "El, I don't think it had anything to do with Paul. I know that he had been round and he wasn't too happy with what I said, but I had a blazing row with John Austin the other night when Adrian was round... he said he was going to teach me some manners..." Her voice trailed away. Eloise narrowed her eyes a little and chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"Surely he wouldn't dress up as Kane though," she said.

"I guess not," said Dolly and she yawned suddenly. "I didn't sleep too well last night. I might go get a bath."

"Good idea," said Eloise. "Then why don't you go back to bed for a few hours. All we can do is wait for the boys to get in touch, so you might as well get all the sleep you can."

Dolly smiled a little and winced as pain shot through her face. Rose watched her go and then turned to Eloise.

"We'll have to keep a close eye on her, dear," she said. Eloise nodded, grimly.

"It must be awful not knowing who did this," she said, eventually.

Dolly sank beneath the water and held her breath as the warmth surrounded her. The water stung her face a little, but she ignored the momentary discomfort choosing instead to enjoy the sensation of being utterly submerged. As she lifted herself out of the bath and wrapped a towel round her, her phone beeped. Without thinking, she opened it and pressed the button to reveal the message she had received, as she wrapped a towel around her head.

_I have not forgotten the way you spoke to me, Deborah. You may rest assured that this is not the end of it._

As she read the text, confusion swamped her. Why would John Austin threaten her if he had already sent someone to hurt her? It didn't make any sense. Suddenly wide awake, she headed for the stairs and went down quickly, her robe fastened at her waist and a towel wrapped like a turban on her head. Shakily, she handed the phone to Eloise, who read the message silently.

"Could he be playing mind games?" she asked. Dolly shook her head.

"Not his style. He likes to let me know when he is responsible for something that has hurt me or has the potential to hurt me." She smiled bitterly.

"What makes these men think they have the right to hurt us?" said Eloise, with uncharacteristic anger in her tone. "You know what, if it weren't for Kane and Mark, I would quite happily say that all men are total and utter..." She broke off, eying Rose who was looking at her with wry amusement. "Oh and of course Jacob."

"Miss Eloise, Master Kane has phoned me," said Jacob, suddenly coming in from the kitchen.

"What did he say?" asked Dolly.

"Well, miss, he said that they haven't got very far. It would seem that Paul Wright was as shocked by what had happened as they were and as much as he hated to say it, Master Kane did not believe he was lying. He... he did have another suggestion though." Jacob paused and Rose nodded at him, to ask him to continue.

"Please, Jacob, what did he say?" asked Eloise.

"He found out how Paul and John are so well acquainted," replied Jacob and as he began to explain, Dolly and Eloise both went white and clung to one another's hands. "But Master Mark will deal with this..."

"That's what worries me," said Eloise, softly. Dolly didn't respond, as she felt fear lick through her body at the thought of what her fiancé was capable of and what he might now do.

Two more days passed and they heard nothing from Kane and Mark. The four of them seemed to move around the lodge in a daze, taking care of Luke and Kore as if on autopilot, none of them speaking much. Kane's revelation to Jacob had unsettled all of them and with good cause. Dolly heard nothing more from John Austin either and she wondered briefly if perhaps Mark and Kane had found their way to his headquarters.

"Dolly, we're going to take Kore for a walk. You want to come? I think all of us could use a bit of fresh air," said Eloise, as she fastened Luke into his coat and put him in his pram. Dolly got up and stretched, wincing when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. The bruising on her face was really coming out now and she was black and blue.

"I might just stay here," she said. "Have a bit of time to myself."

"Ok. Well keep the door locked, won't you?"

"Sure. Have fun." Dolly watched as they all trailed out into the windy day and then took herself through to the kitchen to boil the kettle. She toyed with her phone, wondering where Mark was and more importantly what he was doing. Her mind wandered to when she had first met him and she sighed deeply. He was pretty scary when he was angry and she knew that he would be furious about what had happened to her.

She poured hot water onto her coffee and stirred in some sugar before wandering back into the quiet lounge and picking up the book Rose had brought for her to read. It was chick-lit and not usually her cup of tea, but at least it took her mind off whatever her fiancé was doing. When she had read the same page four times though, she gave up and put the book down, picking up her coffee cup and cradling it in her hands.

The movement out of the corner of her eye made her stiffen; there was someone else in the house with her.


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

As nonchalantly as she was able to, Dolly got up from the sofa and picked her cup up, walking through to the kitchen, as if her intention was to put it back. She stood at the sink, her eyes fixed on the reflection in the window; she could see someone moving behind her. Slowly, she moved to the back door and with trembling fingers turned the key. As she opened it though, a hand shot out from nowhere and slammed it shut. She half turned, but knew what she would see; a tall, broad shouldered man wearing a red and black mask, his piercing blue eyes staring across at her, as he tilted his head sideways.

"All alone, little Doll?" he asked, in a sing song voice that made her skin crawl.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, keeping the fear from her voice. The man's other hand reached across and touched her cheek.

"Poor little Doll; look at your broken face. I'd hate it if someone broke my toys in such a way," he said. Dolly flushed and tried to step back, but the man grabbed her upper arm. His mouth twisted into a grimace and his voice changed abruptly. "Clearly my warning wasn't enough before. What does it take to get through to you people?"

"We don't know what you want," said Dolly, desperately. She cried out as the man's grip on her arm tightened.

"You all think you are so clever, so strong, so important! You are trash, the lot of you and we will soon be rid of you!" There was real venom in his tone now and Dolly felt a surge of terror. Last time he had not spoken and she had not had time to feel anything but pain from the blows he dealt her.

"Would you get on with it?" The voice behind her, made Dolly's skin crawl as if fingers of ice were running up and down her spine. She half turned to see a woman, dressed smartly in a tailored suit, her hair coiffed immaculately into a bun at her nape, stiletto shoes on her feet. The woman turned away before she could see her face clearly though and the next time she spoke there was a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Knock her out. Quickly. I didn't bring you here to engage in chit chat!"

Dolly struggled against the man holding her violently and then gave a cry as a solid blow landed across the back of her head. She sank unconscious to the floor at the woman's feet, as the other turned on her impossibly high heel and walked towards the door, without a backward glance.

"Burn it to the ground," she said.

"And the girl?"

"Leave her where she is; she may have seen my face."

"Do you think she can hear us?" Eloise's voice entered her consciousness, barely.

"Stay still, Dolly. We've got you," said an unfamiliar voice. Dolly groaned and her eyes flickered open. She was staring up into a bright light and there was a mask over her face. She went to move her arm, but it felt heavy and she suddenly realised that she was strapped into a bed. "Dolly, my name is Steve. You're in an ambulance on your way to the hospital. Don't worry, you are safe."

Eloise suddenly appeared in her eye line, bending down towards her and smiling, gently. Dolly coughed into her mask and then closed her eyes again, slipping into unconsciousness. When she came to again, she heard a familiar voice, but was certain she must be mistaken. There was an edge of concern that she had never heard; genuine concern.

"How much longer until she wakes up?"

"What do you care? It's your fault she's here in the first place."

Mark; that was Mark's voice. She fought to try and open her eyes, but they remained stubbornly shut. Instead she was forced to listen to them talk as if she wasn't there.

"I had nothing to do with this!"

"I know you threatened her."

"I said she needed teaching some manners; she's always been a bit free with the way she speaks to people. She is my step-daughter; I would never have tried to kill her! I'll admit that I have not been kind to her in the past, but I have never laid a finger on her."

"No, it was always easier to get other people to do your dirty work," muttered Mark.

"Whatever you might think of my relationship with Deborah, you need to bear in mind that you have only her side of the story. She was not easy to bring up and Marie spoilt her. I had to be the bad guy when she got in trouble. And yes, I will admit it, perhaps I was hard on her at times, but she always got under my skin. She damn well knew it too."

Dolly felt a flicker of a smile on her lips as he said this, remembering the times she had made him incandescent with rage, only to waltz out of the door until her mother was home to protect her. But he had not been all innocence; she recollected the number of dangerous assignments and his cold treatment of her and her mother just before Marie's death.

"So why did you send her off to do suicidal assignments? Why did you leave her to deal with her mother's death on her own? And come to think of it, why did you sack her?"

Austin sighed deeply and she heard the creak o f the chair next to her bed, telling her he had sat down.

"Deborah took the job and she took the assignments and to be honest she was very good at it. She was rarely put in a position of any real danger because of how fast her mind works. She was a straight A student and deserved the position I gave her. As for Marie... I treated them both very badly, but I couldn't handle what was happening to Marie. Be honest, how would you cope in the same situation? It was easier for me to pretend she was already dead than go and see her wilt away in that hospice. One thing you should know; I would never have moved her. I wanted that story about you so badly and I knew that the only way Deborah would comply was if I said I would hurt Marie. To be honest, when I look at Deborah, she is so much like her mother it tears me up inside every time. I was never cut out to be a father, Mark. I was forced to be a step-father because the woman I loved had a child."

"You've made a real mess of everything, Austin," said Mark. Dolly heard the chair creak again as if her stepfather were moving.

"I'm sure it suits you both to believe I do not care for Deborah, but you are wrong. I can never be a father to her, but I am the nearest thing she has to family. I sacked her because her closeness to you compromises her integrity. If she was thinking straight, she would have to agree with me."

Dolly's eyes finally flickered open and she looked across at her stepfather, who was sat in the chair beside the bed, his steely blue eyes fixed on her fiancé, who was standing across the room, flashing green daggers in Austin's direction.

"Mark," she breathed. Both men started at the sound of her voice and then Mark crossed the room swiftly to take her hand in his.

"You scared me, Doll," he said, softly, bringing his lips to her cheek. "You slipped into a coma; been out of it for nearly a week. At one point they even had the priest in to give you the last rites. That's when I thought I should contact him." He nodded in Austin's direction.

"Well, I can see I'm not needed here anymore," he said, getting to his feet, passing a brief searching glance at his step-daughter, but Dolly stopped him.

"Why did you come?" she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

John paused and looked down at her, his gaze suddenly softening.

"To make my peace with you. We did not always hate each other, Deborah. I thought you were dying; I could not let you go without seeing you first."

Dolly looked up at him and felt her eyes beginning to close again. As she drifted into sleep, Mark sighed deeply. John Austin looked down at his step-daughter and his gaze hardened a little.

"I'll go now. I've said all I needed to say. I would appreciate it if you would let me know how she gets on."

"Wouldn't it be better if you called by yourself?" Mark tilted his head back and looked down at Austin, who didn't flinch under his scrutiny. Instead he met his gaze steadily and then shook his head.

"No. I will be in touch though. And if it makes you feel better, I will try and find her employment away from investigative journalism..."

"It's not what she wants though, is it? Look, she isn't any more compromised being my fiancée than she was being your step-daughter. I would suggest you re-instate her. If needs be I will protect her when she is covering a dangerous story, though from what you've said, she will be fine. Why the hell did you sack her in the first place if you know she's good?"

Austin regarded him through narrowed eyes for a moment.

"Because I was angry with her," he admitted eventually. "I never thought she would choose a man, any man, over her career. And of course, Paul made his feelings about your relationship very clear; you could say he called in a favour."

"Interestingly, he blamed you," said Mark. Austin smiled a little at this, but it was humourless smile.

"Paul is very good of squirming out of a tight spot. It's easy to blame the absent party. Maybe you should consider who did this to Deborah in the first place. I will consider what you have said, but Deborah and I will need a long talk before she comes back into my employment. I am still not convinced it would be the best thing for her; she has proven to me that she now finds it difficult to keep her personal and work life separate and I need to be able to rely on her."

"I can promise you that she is unlikely to be compromised in such a way again," said Mark, with wry humour.

"Mark." Her voice was barely whisper but he crossed the room swiftly to her side from the window where he had been standing looking out distractedly. Dolly had been home a week now and there had been nothing to suggest she might be threatened again, but after what he and his brother had discovered, he didn't want to take any risks.

"I'm here, darlin," he murmured, taking her hand. Dolly went to sit up, but Mark pushed her down gently. "Don't move, Doll. You know what the doc said."

"Oh, Mark," she whined. "I'm fed up of being in bed. I need to get up, move about a bit. Can I at least sit in the chair?"

"I nearly lost you, girl. I ain't taking any risks."

Dolly muttered incoherently and scowled at him. Mark smiled and ruffled her hair.

"You're so cute when you sulk," he said, fondly. She swore at him and he frowned. "Language, young lady." He smiled at the expression on her face and dropped a kiss on her lips. "Come on then. I'll help you."

Dolly smiled and let him help her up and across the room to a chair, where he bundled her into a blanket. He sat down opposite her, watching her closely for any sign of discomfort. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Mark, I'm fine," she murmured. "Stop staring at me; you're making me uncomfortable." She wriggled in her chair a little and Mark sighed.

"You want me to get you a drink?"

"Yes, that would be lovely." She even managed to smile at him sweetly, grateful that he was finally going t leave her on her own. As soon as he was gone, she got slowly to her feet and stretched a little, moaning. Unknown to Mark, she had been sneaking opportunities to get up for the last couple of days. She felt a lot better and could manage to stand without any sudden attacks of dizziness or nausea.

"Deborah James!" His sharp voice made her start and she sat down quickly. Mark crossed the room quickly, glaring down at her, angrily. "If I can't leave you alone for two minutes on your own without you deciding that the time is right to go for a walk about I will not be able to leave you on your own at all."

"Dammit, Mark, I was only stretching," she grumbled.

"Don't take that tone with me, girl. You stay in that chair or I'll put you back in your bed and if necessary I'll tie you up..."

"Hmm, never tried that," she quipped. Mark scowled.

"This isn't a joking matter, Doll," he said, crouching in front of her and taking her hands in his. He met her eyes and she saw a flicker of raw emotion. "You have no idea how it felt being there at the hospital, watching you fade away. I thought I'd lost you and it nearly killed me. I should have been with you at the lodge. If that couple hadn't been passing with their dog... if they hadn't got the fire brigade there so quickly... I'd have lost you forever." He fell silent and unbelievably she saw tears in his eyes for a moment, before he blinked them away and got to his feet, turning away from her. Slowly, Dolly got back to her feet and tremulously reached across to him.

"Mark, I'm sorry," she whispered. He turned back to her and took her into his arms, holding her tenderly against him.

"What are you sorry for, Doll? You didn't cause this." He kissed her forehead.

"I'm just sorry I put you through all of this..."

"You didn't. That masked jerk did. God, if I find out who has been doing this too you I'll kill them."

"No," she said, softly. "You will go to the police and let them deal with it. I have found the man I love. I won't lose him to spend his life in prison."

Mark smiled and then his head jerked up.

"What did you say, Dolly?"

She smiled and tears formed in her eyes.

"I love you, Mark. I love you."


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

"I need a favour."

"What makes you think I will grant you a favour?" The voice on the end of the phone was as cold as ever and she rolled her eyes. "And don't roll your eyes at me." Dolly bit back a laugh. Her stepfather had rehired her and she had managed a cordial relationship with him if nothing else.

"I know that you've been helping Mark find out who burnt the lodge."

"One good turn deserves another," he replied.

"I want in."

"I don't think your fiancé would approve," replied Austin, after a brief pause.

"Probably not, but think of the story I could do. You know it makes sense. We could get whoever is doing this put behind bars and I could get you one hell of a scoop. We'd all get something out of it."

Austin was silent for long enough that she wondered if he was still there. Finally she heard him sigh.

"Fine, but Callaway does not find out about your involvement. If he does, you take full responsibility."

"No problem," she replied. "So, where do I start?"

Austin filled her in briefly and Dolly hung up, a slight smile on her face; she had had no idea there could be someone out there whom he hated more than her.

"What are you up to, Dolly?" She turned swiftly to see Adrian standing in the doorway, his eyes searching her face.

"Nothing," she said, a little too quickly. Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"Honeybee, Ape Man has charged me with keeping an eye on you now you're back at work. You best keep your head down until he relaxes a bit."

"Mark isn't my boss, Adrian," she said, turning back to her laptop.

"No, but he does care, enough that he has been calling me every day to check up on you."

"I can't believe you are siding with Ape Man over your best friend," she grumbled. Adrian shrugged and crossed the room to perch on her desk.

"And I can't believe you just called your husband to be Ape Man!"

Dolly sighed, she hadn't meant that, but she was so frustrated with Mark always being there in the background, keeping an eye on her. She narrowed her eyes.

"Well, I'm going to turn the tables on him," she muttered, more to herself than to Adrian.

"What do you mean?"

"I wouldn't want you implicated. Adrian, have you ever known me take a risk I couldn't manage?"

"I suppose not," he said, grudgingly. "But these are dangerous times. I have had enough shocks recently. Like hearing you and John Austin being civil to one another!"

"Adrian, I have to do this," she said, suddenly. "I know Mark well enough to know that if he catches the person that did this, he won't go to the police and then I'll lose him. Please, you know I can do this."

"Fine, but be careful," he said, a little sulkily. Adrian knew her well enough to know that she would do what she wanted to do whatever he said.

Dolly got into the office block with little hassle, wearing the long blonde wig and oversized sunglasses to hide her identity. The fake ID along with the suit that showed off a little more bust and leg than usual had helped as well, as the security guard gave her the once over and then smiled and admitted her. She felt his eyes on her as she went inside and glanced back once to smile at him suggestively. Once she was out of his eye-line, she rolled her eyes and headed straight for the stairs. She never used a lift when she was on a job; too many risks with security cameras and the chance of getting stuck.

Dolly made her way to the staff restaurant on the fifth floor and took out an official looking file and a newspaper, then sat down with a coffee, making it last until the cleaning staff started to hover and she made her way to the stairs again. She made her way slowly to the eighth floor, where the office she needed was. There was no one around when she entered the room, in complete darkness. She felt her way along the wall and took out her penlight, a tiny torch that only allowed enough light that she could see in the immediate vicinity but no one would see the light. The desk was scattered with papers and she smiled. They knew someone was on to them; this was a sure sign of nervousness.

"You stay where you are. We need to keep our heads down. Yes they are doing a lot of snooping. No I do not want you to come to the office. Keep your head down and do not make contact with me again. I will contact you when I need you."

Dolly quickly ducked under the desk and pulled herself as far back as possible, pulling her black coat tighter round her and bringing the hood over her hair. She melted into the darkness and was grateful the woman who entered did not switch any lights on. She saw a pair of stiletto heels as the woman crossed the room and held her breath as she heard her rummaging among the papers on the table. The sound of a mobile phone ringing filled the air and the woman moved to the window.

"John, what do you want?" Dolly froze. John? John Austin? "I am flattered that you suddenly remembered you have a sister, but I have nothing to say to you. We have our own lives. Don't threaten me, John." There was a pause, as the other person spoke. "How was I to know she was your step-daughter? John I don't care. The Callaways need doing away with... No! You don't get to tell me what to do! Back off, John! You and Paul might think you have all the power, but you don't... Oh go... yourself!" She slammed the phone down on the desk so hard that Dolly had to bite her lip to stifle the gasp that threatened. She now knew exactly who this woman was and why she had been attacked. The only problem now was proving it.

"Doll, is that you darlin'?" Mark's voice came from the kitchen and she sighed, stuffing the wig and glasses deeper into the bag. She didn't want him knowing what she knew just yet.

"Yeah, I'm just going to grab a shower. I'll be down in a minute." She rushed up the stairs before he could see her. She needed to calm down before she saw him.

"Sure thing, darlin'. I'll get dinner on."

She headed up stairs and pushed the bag into the back of the wardrobe. When she was finally standing under the steaming stream of water in the shower, she sighed deeply. She didn't like to keep things from him, but he had been so protective lately that she was almost stifled by him. Every time she turned round he was watching her and if he wasn't, Adrian was. At first she hadn't minded, she was still weak and tired, but as her strength returned, she wanted her independence back. Suddenly though, a wave of love swept through her, as she thought of the expression in those green eyes when he looked at her; the feeling of total care that he gave her. He was intense, but he was hers.

Her mind wandered back to what she had found at the office. She hadn't hung around once the woman was gone, knowing she had gained more from hearing the telephone conversation than she would from rifling through the papers; though she would return there in a few days. Her own office had been empty when she got there, but she headed straight for her desk and typed up what she had found out, storing it on her pen-drive and then locking it in her safe. Dolly would not risk Mark finding out what she was up to; he would not approve.

"Doll? You nearly done, darlin'? Dinner is ready."

"Coming," she called, shutting off the shower. She dried off and pulled a robe round her.

"You're quiet, darlin'. Do you think you maybe went back to work too soon?"

She rested her chin on her hand and pushed her food around her plate and glanced across at him.

"No, just been a long day, big man, that's all," she replied, forcing a smile onto her lips.

"So... what story you covering?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"You know that's off limits, Mark."

"Sorry, darlin'. I just wanted to check you're ok."

"I'm fine. It's good to be back at work. Gives me something else to think about."

"Just don't go overdoing it," he said.

"Sure thing, doc," she replied, smiling across at him. Mark sighed and looked at her barely touched food, gesturing at it with his fork.

"You need to eat, Doll. You'll make yourself ill."

"I had a big lunch," she replied, smoothly. It was a lie; she was living on coffee and adrenaline at the moment. "Anyway, how are things at the gym?"

"Good, we've had a surge of new members. Paul's been looking into some more advertising possibilities. There are some excellent opportunities out there." She listened as he continued telling her about some of his own ideas for product endorsements and the like. He paused and she smiled at him.

"Enough opportunities there that you won't have time for the sideline soon," she said, softly. Mark scowled and picked up their plates, taking them to the sink.

"I thought you said work stuff was off limits," he said, looking away from her. She sighed.

"Sorry, Mark. Guess I'm tired and grumpy. I might just take my book to bed if you don't mind?"

"Sure, I'll be up soon." He dropped a kiss on her cheek as she passed him and Dolly smiled. When she got into bed her phone beeped.

_I hope you know what you're doing. Be careful Dolly. A _

Dolly deleted it quickly and scowled. The last thing she needed was Adrian fussing like an old woman. This was her story and her life. She would sort it out. The book was open in front of her, but her mind was working ten to the dozen. John's sister was the one who had come to the lodge. It was her that had had Dolly attacked and her that wanted to hurt the Callaways so badly. She was certain that Mark knew it too, but he had not yet reacted. Maybe, the same as her he was looking for proof before he acted. But if they left it too long, she was in no doubt that the woman would attack again.


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Once again the office was in darkness when she got there. She knew what she was looking for this time though; proof that this woman was who she thought she was. Once she had that, she would contact the police and present them with her findings; the woman who had burnt down Mark's childhood home and the woman who had attacked her twice. All she needed was documentation to prove who she was and anything that could link her to the fires.

The hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end and she shivered as she saw a light on the corridor. Hurriedly, she hid within the stationary cupboard at the back of the room and watched through a small crack in the door as the woman entered her office and threw her coat on the chair. Dolly watched as the woman paced and then carefully took her phone from her pocket, switching on the video camera. But then she heard the office door close. A hooded figure entered the room, tall, broad, wearing a long, black leather trench coat. He looked like the grim reaper brought to life as he walked slowly but purposefully towards the desk where the woman stood. To her credit, she did not look afraid, though Dolly's own heart thumped so hard inside her chest that she wondered they didn't hear it.

"What are you doing here?" demanded the woman.

The man did not reply, but made his way round the desk, his gaze never leaving her.

"Wh... who let you in here?" There was a little uncertainty now in her voice, as the man continued to stalk her. She went to move away, but his hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her around the throat.

"Woman, you have sorely tried my patience," he said, his voice soft despite the implicit threat of his words. Dolly brought a hand to her own throat and swallowed a lump, as she tried to keep her other hand steady on the video.

"I'll call security," the woman gasped. The man in front of her laughed, but it was a sinister sound.

"There is no one in this building but the two of us," he replied. "And what makes you think they would protect you anyway?"

He turned slightly, still holding the woman by the throat. Dolly's hand flew to her mouth as she looked into the emerald green eyes of her fiancé. He didn't see her, she thought, thankfully. She shivered though as his face was veiled by a murderous expression that seemed the antithesis of the man she loved.

"What are you going to do to me?" said the woman. Mark didn't answer her but suddenly lifted her by the throat, making her choke. He dropped her like a rag doll and then dragged her roughly to her feet by the arm.

"You think this will make a difference? I'll kill you and your bitch like I killed your damned parents!" she shrieked.

Dolly shut off the video; she had what she needed and then watched, frozen to the spot as he brought his hand back and dealt the woman a powerful blow which knocked her to the floor. The woman cried out and shuffled back away from him. Dolly had to turn away, tears stinging her eyes as she saw what her fiancé was capable of. It seemed he had finished for now, as he stepped back.

"That was a warning. I hope you take it seriously," he said. Then he left as swiftly as he had entered. Dolly held her breath as the woman started to sob, getting slowly to her feet, her hand at her mouth. She gathered herself together and then left, slamming the door behind her. Dolly sank down in the cupboard; she had seen more than she had bargained for. When she was certain the way was clear, she headed out, grabbed the papers she needed which were where she had seen them before she had to hide and with a feeling or deep trepidation made her way home.

The video, as she had hoped, had picked up the woman's confession; she had admitted to killing the Callaways and Dolly had the documents that proved she was Amanda Wright, Paul's ex-wife and John's sister. She watched it once more before she sent the video to Adrian's phone and to her own e-mail at work for safekeeping. Mark's face couldn't be seen, but it would be apparent who he was from what she had said. Before she could switch it off, the phone rang.

"If I were you, I wouldn't go home yet, Deborah. Go straight to the police."

"Why are you helping me?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Because that crazy bitch involved my son in this. If you will keep him out of it, I will ensure he comes nowhere near you again."

"Your son?" she echoed, gripping the phone more tightly. There was a sigh at the other end of the phone.

"Some things I have kept secret even from my boys. Glen is a good boy, but easily manipulated by his mother. Please, keep him out of it."

"Fine, I will," she said, softly, picturing the tall man in the mask who had attacked her. Her thoughts quickly turned to her fiancé though. "Paul? Is Mark ok?"

There was a brief silence before he answered.

"Mark is with me, Deborah. Just go straight to the police, please. For all our sakes."

"Can I speak to him?"

"I think it would be better you didn't at the moment."

"Is he mad?"

"You could say that," replied Paul, diplomatically. Dolly shivered.

"I'll meet him at Kane's place, after I've been to the police," she said.

"That might be wise."

She hung up and shivered at the thought of seeing Mark again after what she had seen him do; knowing full well he was angry with her.

It took longer than she had thought at the police station as she made her statement and handed over her evidence. The detective who she spoke to was attentive and she sensed somewhat excited at the prospect of clearing up such an old case along with a few more recent ones, not all involving the Callaways.

"We'll be in touch, Miss James," he said. "And thank you. Of course I cannot be seen to approve of your methods, but without them we may never have gathered the evidence we need."

"Just make sure that she goes behind bars for a long time," said Dolly, grimly, as she headed away, back to her car. When she reached the car, she almost cried out as a strong hand grabbed her arm tightly, squeezing her in a bruising grip.

"We need to talk, girl." Dolly looked up into acid green eyes that were narrowed in anger. She shivered and then nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "Give me your keys. I'll drive." Trembling, Dolly handed him her keys and then got in on the passenger side of the car. He drove them for miles, without speaking, his eyes fixed on the road in front of him. They reached a hotel and he pulled in, then got out of the car, opened her door and took her hand in his in a punishing grip. She let him pull her into the reception and stood beside him, her arms wrapped round herself as he checked them in. He adjusted the bag on his shoulder and then seized her hand again. When they reached their room, he pushed her inside and then locked the door behind him, after putting the Do Not Disturb sign there.

Dolly moved to the far side of the room and stood by the window, watching him warily. Mark dumped their bag on the bed and then crossed the room, stopping a couple of feet away from her, regarding her steadily. They remained like this for several minutes, before Mark suddenly closed the gap between them and tilted Dolly's face towards him.

"You promised that you wouldn't endanger yourself," he said, finally. "And you also promised you wouldn't get involved in my work."

"I... I didn't," she stammered. Mark's grip tightened a little and he glared at her.

"Don't lie to me, girl," he growled. "I saw you."

Dolly stepped back and he let go of her.

"You saw me?"

"You're just fortunate it was me and not someone else. I damn well warned you to stay out of my work..."

"I wasn't there for your work!" she said, desperately. "I was there for mine!"

Mark grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close again, until his face was directly opposite hers.

"What the hell were you playing at? Have you so little thought for your safety?" His tone was dark and she shivered.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "But it's over now! The police have all the information they need and..."

"I told you that I would deal with it! You had no business getting involved!"

"You would not have gone to the police! You'd have killed her and her son and where would that have left us?"

"That is crap and you know it! I had said I would sort it out. Don't you trust me?" He released her arm and she rubbed it, scowling up at him.

"I trust you, of course I do, but I know what you're like when you lose your temper. You don't always think things through. And I knew I could get the evidence we needed. Mark, it's what I do for a living! I wasn't caught; I wasn't endangered..."

"But you could have been..."

"So could you! I know that I can keep a level head. That's what has kept me safe since I started working for John. I also know that you were mad enough to kill them for what they did to me. Mark, how do you think I would carry on if you were in prison for life? I would be completely alone. I just found you; you think I want to lose you?"

He was silent, but some of the anger died from his eyes.

"I need for you to trust me, darlin'" he said. She watched him silently from across the room and then took a step towards him.

"Maybe it's time we were a bit more honest with one another," she said, eventually.

"I don't share my work stuff, Doll," he replied, firmly.

"Mark, I'm not Eloise. I don't need protecting from what you do. I can cope with it. Let's face it, you'd be a whole lot happier knowing what I'm doing from day to day, wouldn't you?"

He shrugged, looking away from her.

"I know you've had Adrian spying on me. And I know you've been keeping tabs on my diary," she said, keeping her tone even. Mark had the grace to look a little sheepish at this.

"I worry about you, darlin'."

"And I don't worry about you?"

"That's different. I can handle myself," he replied, meeting her eyes, only to look away at the sudden flash of fury.

"I've managed perfectly well for the last ten years," she snapped. "Look, I'm going to be blunt. If we don't trust one another with every bit of our lives, then we haven't got a future! Work takes up quite a chunk of our lives and if we can't talk about it, we're always going to be arguing. I don't want to be afraid for you, or of you, Mark."

"Afraid _of_ me?" he repeated, confusion in his eyes. "Are you afraid of me, Dolly?"

She looked across at him and wrapped her arms around herself, as he looked across at her, the hurt in his eyes obvious.

"When you lose it, you really lose it. And you don't wait for answers; you wade in with both feet. Like turning up at the police station and dragging me out here, rather than meeting me at Kane's like I asked you to. I've just seen what you're capable of, Mark and it wasn't nice to see. I know it was wrong of me to get involved without telling you, but I knew how you'd react."

"I just needed to talk to you. I would never hurt you, Dolly. What I did to Amanda... that was work. I have never hit a woman in anger and I'm not about to start now. Especially not you. If we'd gone back to Kane's he'd have been there, listening in with Eloise, putting their noses in our business and you needn't think it would've been me they'd have been mad with. If you think I'm scary when I lose my temper, I have nothing on El." He smiled and was relieved when she smiled back. He crossed the room and suddenly grabbed her in a tight embrace. "When I heard that you'd gone to the office block, jeez Doll. I know what that woman is capable of. I can't lose you."

"And I can't lose you," she said, gently. "Do you see now why I think we need to be a whole lot more honest with one another?"

Mark sighed deeply and then kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you, Doll," he said, eventually. "And I will think about what you've said."


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Mark lay on his back, wide awake, his arm round Dolly, who was snuggled against him fast asleep. He watched her, feeling so much tenderness for a moment that it swamped him and then he sighed. Everything she had said the night before had made sense and had had a ring of truth that he didn't want to admit to. In the past he had always kept work and his personal life completely separate, but he had met Dolly through work. And now she had seen him at work in the worst possible circumstances. He had lied the night before; he had hit a woman in anger; Amanda when she talked about killing his parents. If he hadn't spotted Dolly hidden in the cupboard he had no idea what he might have done to Amanda. As usual, he had called Paul as soon as he was a safe distance from the office block, though he could still see the entrance that he watched until his fiancée safely emerged some time after Amanda had left. Paul had advised him to go straight to his place to calm down. And then he had rung Dolly, sending her straight to the police; unusual for him. But he had admitted that the tall masked man that had attacked Dolly was his son by Amanda, Glen, a boy Mark could only half remember from his childhood. He was between Mark and Kane in age, tall and well built like them, but as Paul had said, easily manipulated. Paul had seen to it that he had a good education and everything he needed but otherwise he had not had anything to do with the boy.

Dolly stirred a little and he looked down at her, but her eyes stayed closed for now. He had been enraged when he reached Paul's, storming about, shouting, swearing; furious with her for being there. Paul had calmed him, reminded him that Dolly was perfectly capable of looking after herself. But Mark knew there were other things he needed to consider. Like how it made him feel to know she had seen him at his worst and the fact that she had deliberately defied him. He brought a hand to his face and struggled with the conflicting emotions he had; he loved that she was independent; he hated that she put herself at risk. And he knew that if they carried on stepping round their work issues it would all end in tears, as she had said the night before.

A slight smiled as she muttered something and then turned over in her sleep. He took a deep breath; he had made the decision. No more secrets; he loved her too much to lose her. With the decision made, he felt as if a weight was suddenly lifted; she might have a better idea of what he was up to and she might not like it, but that would work both ways. Perhaps a relationship based on trust was the best way forwards for them.

"What are you smiling at?" yawned Dolly, suddenly cuddling closer to him.

"Just thinking about how much I love you, darlin'"," he said. She giggled and dug her elbow in his side.

"You're such a softy," she said, sleepily. "And you're awake very early."

"Been thinking," he said.

"Really? This early? That's got to hurt!"

"Funny," he said, slapping her thigh lightly with his hand. She grumbled a little and he smiled. "I was thinking about what you said last night."

"And?"

"And you're right. We should be more honest with one another. But I warn you, girl, you're not going to like every job I do."

"I probably won't like _any_ jobs that you do," she replied, with another yawn. "But you'll probably feel the same way about my work. I guess what we need is to be able to say that without either of us blowing up. I won't forbid you to do a job, but I expect the same from you."

"I doubt you'd obey me anyway," he grunted.

"Obey you? Does that sound like me, big man?"

"Not a bit. But if ever I was really uncomfortable with a job, would you at least listen to me?" he said.

"Sure thing, as long as you promise to do the same for me," she replied.

"Ok. But, Dolly; I don't want you using my job to fuel your stories, however tempting. Agreed?"

"Agreed," she said, though it hurt, because she knew she could have got some brilliant scoops from him. Before they could say any more though, her phone rang. She hopped up from the bed and answered it quickly. Mark listened to her from the bed, propping his head up on his hand and watching as she paced with her phone pressed to her ear. When she hung up, she looked across at him and a smile brightened her face.

"They got her. She's in custody now. The inspector said they've got a really strong case."

"That's great news, Doll. And it's thanks to you. Well done, darlin'." He got up and put his arms round her. "Now I guess I better get us home, or Kane and El may well kill us."

"I'm not going anywhere until we've had breakfast. You dragged me to a hotel; I want hotel breakfast!" she replied, with a laugh. Mark laughed too.

"Sure thing, darlin'. Anything you want."

"Am I glad to see you two," said Eloise, grabbing Dolly in a quick hug before leading them through to the lounge, where Kane was sat, with Luke on his knee and Paul was sat opposite with a tall man who watched them come in through wide eyes. Mark strode across the room and only stopped when Dolly grabbed his hand. Paul got to his feet.

"Glen has something he wants to say to you, Deborah," said Paul, quietly. Glen got to his feet and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Miss James," he said, gruffly. "Mother told me a lot of stories about you and the Callaways; made me think you were the bad guys. She said it was the Callaways fault that she split up with Dad. I didn't know about the fire. I never should have listened to her."

"She can be very persuasive, son," said Paul. Dolly looked at Glen and felt a stab of pity; she knew how manipulative parental figures could be.

"I understand," she said. Mark's grip on her hand tightened.

"I don't," he said, his tone menacing.

"Look Mark, it's me he's apologising to, not you..."

"You nearly killed her," said Mark, shortly.

"And you nearly killed my mother when you attacked her," replied Glen, softly. Kane got to his feet to stand between the two men.

"He's got a point, bro. And you know what Amanda is like. Maybe this would be a good time to put this behind us; move on?"

"Since when have you been the peacemaker?" asked Mark, flippantly.

"Since I became a father myself and realised there is more to life than hurting people," Kane replied, swallowing the irritation that his brother's tone provoked in him. Eloise smiled across at him and turned to Mark.

"Can we all sit down? Paul has something he needs to say as well."

"Fine," said Mark, sitting down, but still glaring across at Glen as he pulled Dolly down beside him. She squeezed his hand, reassuringly and Mark made an effort to calm down.

"I'm sure you know that Amanda has been arrested. She is being charged with the murder of your parents and with attempted murder of Deborah. I have contacted John and warned him. The police have taken statements from myself and I think from you too, Deborah. Glen has said that he will also testify, even though the chances are he will be sentenced as well. They have said it will be a reduced sentence if he cooperates."

"He'd best cooperate then," muttered Mark, ignoring the warning look that Dolly shot him.

"And once this is all over with, I have made a big decision," said Paul. He looked closely at Mark and Kane. "You know you are my boys and we have worked together for a long time, but I am becoming more and more concerned by the cases we have been getting. I am going to be screening our jobs from this point forward. Anyone known to any one of us is off bounds and I am including Deborah and Eloise's connections in this as well. You both have families now and I do too. I want us to concentrate on the gyms."

"That's a pretty big decision, Paul," said Mark, his eyes wide with shock.

"Yes it is. But I am getting too old for all this danger. I will still take the worst cases; you know how I feel about anything involving children or vulnerable people. And I will rely on your discretion for these jobs, all of you." He gave Dolly a sharp look and she nodded, biting her lip. "But I think we should all take a few months off, re-group and catch up with what is really important."

"Sounds good to me," said Eloise, with a sigh. She looked at Kane, who had not said a word; his face as unreadable as the mask he had once worn. "Hey, we have two weddings to plan, don't we?"

"Exactly," said Dolly. She looked at Mark until he returned her gaze, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Fine," said Mark. "But, Paul, I want in on the decision of who and when we work."

"Me too," said Kane. Paul nodded.

"Seems fair," he said. "Now, we will leave you in peace. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."

Once Paul and Glen were gone, Eloise diplomatically led Dolly to the kitchen, taking Luke with them.

"I think they need time to talk, come to terms with this," she said. Dolly nodded, accepting the glass of water that Eloise handed her.

"Are you worried?" she asked.

"Worried? No. I guess at one time I might have been, but Kane has been taking less and less jobs recently. I don't think he needs that outlet in the same way. He has me and Luke now; maybe it's enough." She shrugged.

"I'm not sure that'll work so well for Mark," replied Dolly.

"I think it will," said Eloise. "I know how he feels about you."

Mark was very quiet, sitting at the table with his back to her when she came in. Dolly sighed and put her bag down on the chair before she moved behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. He looked up and smiled.

"You ok, big man?"

"Sure, just thinking," he replied, bringing a hand up to cover hers.

"What you thinking about?"

"Just we didn't set a date yet," he said.

"A date?"

"For our wedding," he replied. Dolly felt a lurch, half excitement and half nervousness at his words and she sat down opposite him at the table.

"You're right, we didn't. Anything in mind?"

"Soon as possible," he replied, taking her hands, looking straight at her. "You want a big wedding?"

Dolly shrugged and smiled a little sadly.

"I haven't all that many people to invite, have I? My aunt and uncle and my cousins maybe, but that's all the family I have. Work people and you know I asked Adrian to give me away as soon as we got engaged. How about you?"

"Just Kane and Eloise. Paul. There's not really anyone else I want there. You know, I'd be happy if it was just me and you."

"So why don't we just do it?" said Dolly, a grin forming on her face.

"Just do it?"

"The chapel where we had Mom's funeral... it's kind of special to me. Maybe we could as the priest there if he could fit us in. Just take El, Kane and Adrian as our witnesses and do it. And if you want Paul there, I'm fine with that."

"And John?" Mark's eyes searched her face. She looked away and sighed.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask him; he probably won't come anyway."

"Tell you what, you talk to the priest, see how quickly he can get us in and I'll talk to the people we want there."

"You're totally serious?" said Dolly.

"Completely. Deborah, I love you. These last few weeks have been hell. I just want you to be Deborah Callaway, as soon as possible."

Dolly smiled across at him.

"I want that too," she murmured. Mark got up and brought her to her feet, his lips coming down gently on hers.


	26. Chapter 26

_**I must apologise profusely for how long it is since I updated this story! In truth, I lost my inspiration for it. If you have been awaiting an update, please accept my apologies. I am working on the final chapter now and will hopefully post both today so that it is complete. Enjoy x**_

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

"You talk to the priest yet, darlin'?" Mark wrapped his arms round her waist as she stood at the sink washing up. Dolly half turned to kiss him and giggled.

"Yes I did. Next month, Friday 15th if that's ok?"

"I'll check my diary, make sure I've nothing more important to do," he said, rolling his eyes. "Of course that's ok! Jeez. Anyway, I want the priest's number."

"Why?" she asked.

"I need to check the vows."

"Vows?" said Dolly, picking up the towel and drying her hands, looking across at him puzzled.

"I want to make sure you'll be swearing to love, honour and _obey_ me til the day we die," said Mark, unable to stop the grin forming on his face. Dolly raised an eyebrow.

"Is that right, big man?" she said.

"Sure, that way I can keep you in check, girl."

"Keep me in check?"

Mark laughed at the expression on her face and then paused as her phone rang. Dolly answered it and looked away from him. Mark watched through narrowed eyes as she answered in monosyllables. Finally she hung up and turned to him, tears standing out on her eyelashes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, the playful mood of just minutes ago completely melting away.

"They've got a date for the trial," she said, softly. "It's the week before the wedding."

"Hey, it's ok, darlin'. It won't hurt us; it won't stop us from marrying. That I can promise you."

"Mark, I'm scared," she said, suddenly.

"Scared? Of what?"

"I'm scared she'll get released," murmured Dolly. "And then she won't ever stop. She'll always be there in the background..."

"You said yourself the police had a really strong case. She won't get away with what she's done. And even Paul has said he will testify. His dumbass son has given a statement. They have the evidence you gave them; how the hell do you imagine she would get away?"

"I don't know. I guess everything has been so nice, not having to think about her or anything else hurting us. It's almost too perfect..."

"And it will be for the rest of our lives. Come here, Doll." He held his arms out and she slipped into them, comfortably.

XXX

"Amanda Wright, you stand before us accused of arson, murder and attempted murder. How do you plea?" The judge's voice rag out across the courtroom. Mark squeezed Dolly's hand as she stiffened beside him, her face pale. Kane leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Not guilty." Amanda's quiet, refined voice was heard at the back of the courtroom, along with a lot of muttering from the gallery. The judge glared, which was enough to silence the collected audience. Mark tried to give Dolly a reassuring smile, but her eyes were fixed on the woman in the stand, who was poised and appeared perfectly calm. Mark had told her that Amanda had employed a very expensive, well known lawyer who had gotten many others off the hook in cases similar to this one. Glancing up at a movement next to her, Dolly saw her stepfather slide into the seat beside her.

"Did I miss anything?" whispered John. She nodded.

"She's pleaded not guilty," she muttered.

"Silly girl," replied John, shaking his head.

"She's your sister," said Dolly.

"She needs help," said John, softly, looking across at her briefly, before looking back at his sister standing in the dock. She was being questioned by the prosecution and Dolly was pleased to see her looking a little more ruffled at the lawyer's line of questioning.

Mark's mind was wandering, as he looked down at Amanda. He could remember as a child seeing her with Paul, when they were married. She had always seemed distant, whereas Paul had been cheerful and caring towards them. He had made them feel like he was a father to them too. He could admit to himself now that Amanda had intimidated him as a child and he had always been more than a little relieved when she left.

Dolly had never met Amanda and couldn't really recall John talking about her when she was child. He had never mentioned family; she and her mother had been his family and she knew that he would have preferred that it was just her mom and him. Since they had been at least civil to one another recently, she had tried to recall the moments in her childhood when he had been a little less stern with her, but could only recall one or two occasions; once when she was thirteen and won a story writing competition he had praised her because it was a national one and had been covered by a newspaper whose editor he respected. And once when her mom had been out and she had fallen, cutting her leg quite badly he had administered first aid in a slightly more caring fashion than she was used to. She blinked at the memories, surprised that they wormed their way into her head now as she tried to focus on the court case running just below them. She glanced across at the opposite gallery; the press gallery and saw Adrian taking notes feverishly; this was one story she had been more than happy to let someone else cover.

When they adjourned for lunch, Mark took Dolly's hand and led her outside. He left her with John while he went to get them coffee. None of them felt much like eating.

"I was surprised to get your invitation," said John, suddenly. Dolly glanced up at him and a small smile curved her lips.

"I was surprised to send you one," she responded. John laughed at that, but then sobered a little.

"Deborah, your mother would have loved us to be friends," he said, quietly. Dolly went to interrupt, but he stopped her. "The thing is, while she as alive, I always saw you as more of a rival in her affections than as my potential little girl. Did you know that your mom got pregnant four times while you were growing up?"

Dolly's eyes widened and she shook her head. John sighed, looking away from her, his lips tight for a moment with remembered grief. He visibly calmed himself and then looked at her again.

"She had four miscarriages and then they said that if she tried to get pregnant again it might kill her. I wanted my own child so much... I suppose I took that out on you as well. I'm not proud of how I was with the two of you while you were growing up, but there is one thing I am proud of."

"What?" she asked.

"I'm proud of the way I moulded you into one of the best investigative journalists I've ever seen." He was silent for a moment allowing his words to sink in, but then he saw Mark heading across the courtyard with a tray of drinks. He allowed himself a small smile. "And if you ever fancy delivering the goods on Mr Callaway, I wouldn't say no."

Dolly stared at him, outraged for a moment, but then she saw the trace of humour in his eyes and allowed herself to relax. She laughed.

"No, I wouldn't do that," she said.

"Because you fear him?" asked John, curiously.

"No," she replied, looking up at him. "Because I love him."

XXX

The rest of the day flew past in a blur. Dolly had been shaken by what John revealed about her mother's miscarriages. She had a dim memory of being woken as a child and seeing her mother on her knees in the bathroom with blood pooling across the front of her nightgown, but she had never spoken of it, being too frightened of what she had seen. And when John told her that her mother had gone to visit friends, she saw no reason to disbelieve him; after all grownups didn't lie, did they? John had always told her off if he caught her fibbing, so she assumed he would never tell a lie himself.

And then the jury were dismissed to come to their verdict. The evidence appeared to be stacked against her, but Amanda's lawyer gave a very good closing speech and Dolly had witnessed enough court cases to know she couldn't be blasé about the outcome.

Now they were sat in the living room of the cottage alone for the first time all day. Mark had gone to open a bottle of wine and Dolly leaned back against the cushions of the couch, her eyes half-closed.

"Tired, Doll?" he said, as he pushed a glass into her hand. Dolly took a sip and then closed her eyes again.

"Mmmhmm," she managed to mumble. Mark looked down at her, concerned. He knew that his fiancée was more likely to struggle to sleep than fall asleep naturally when she was stressed. Dolly opened her eyes a crack and handed him her glass. "I don't feel much like drinking. I might just go to bed."

"Sure thing, darlin'. Want me to come tuck you in?"

Dolly smiled and went to get to her feet, but when she swayed a little, Mark got up quickly, alarmed, spilling the wine in his haste to place the glasses on the table and support her. She brought a hand to her head.

"Must be more tired than I thought," she muttered. Mark swept her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs, amazed that she didn't protest. As he set her down on the bed, he could see that her eyes were already closing. "Love you." The murmured words made his heart soar, as they always did. Dolly didn't say those words anywhere near as often as he did and every time she did, he knew she absolutely meant it.

The following morning, Mark woke with a jerk to realise that the space next to him on the bed was unoccupied and he could hear Dolly in the bathroom heaving. He pushed the door and it opened to reveal her sat on the floor, perspiration beaded on her forehead, her face white. Concerned, Mark crossed the room.

"Doll, you ok darlin'?" he asked. She grimaced up at him.

"Do I look ok?" she grumbled. "I think I'm dying!" Mark's eyes widened and she rolled her eyes, sighing. "I'll be fine. Probably just one of those twenty four hour things." She held up a hand and Mark helped her to her feet. Turning to the sink, Dolly got out her toothbrush and began to clean her teeth, as Mark watched. When she was done, she wiped her mouth and staggered back through to the bedroom, flopping down on the bed.

"You want me to get you anything?" he asked.

"Orange juice?" she said.

"Not coffee?" he asked. Dolly's face whitened and she rushed through to the bathroom again and he heard her retching. "Right, not coffee."

Mark headed down to the kitchen, but they didn't have juice in. With a sigh, he picked up the phone. Kane was bound to have some juice he could borrow. Eloise answered.

"Hey Mark," she said.

"El, do you have any orange juice?" he asked.

"Hang on, I'll look." He heard her rummaging around. "We sure do. You want me to bring it over?"

"Yeah, please. I don't want to leave Dolly on her own."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I think she has a bug. She nearly fainted last night and this morning she's been really sick. She looks like death. Just the word coffee had her bolting to the bathroom again. Might be the stress of the case?"

"Maybe," said Eloise, but he heard the doubt in her voice. Before he could question her though se interrupted him. "I'll be right over." She hung up and minutes later appeared at the door, Luke on her hip and the carton of juice in her hand. She set her son down and he crawled across the living room floor towards Mark, who picked him up and grinned at him.

"How's my favourite nephew?" he said. Luke giggled and threw his arms around Mark's neck, making Eloise smile.

"Still won't sleep at night, thinks night time is for playing," she replied, with a smile. "Hence Daddy is still in bed or he would be the grumpiest daddy in the world."

"How would you tell the difference?" asked Mark, with a laugh. Eloise elbowed him in the ribs and then glanced towards the stairs.

"How's Dolly? Can I go up?" she asked. "I'll take her some juice."

"Sure," said Mark, a little distracted by Luke, who had grabbed his hair and was yanking it in his fists, an expression of curiosity on his little face.

"Be gentle with Uncle Mark, Luke," scolded Eloise, gently extracting her son's hands from Mark's hair before she headed to the kitchen, poured the juice and then went upstairs. She found Dolly sat cross legged on the bed, silent tears streaming down her face.


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Eloise placed the glass on the bedside table quickly and then crossed the room hastily, enveloping Dolly in her arms. She held her as she sobbed, until finally all of the tension appeared to leave her and she sat up, slowly. Eloise reached across and picked up the box of tissues and handed them to her. As Dolly wiped her eyes, Eloise watched her, a slightly curious expression on her face.

"How long?" she asked, perceptively. Dolly gave her a sharp look, but then she sighed.

"You should have been an investigative journalist rather than a PA," she said. Eloise laughed and shrugged.

"Being Kane's PA I'm not sure there's much difference to be honest," she replied, with a grin.

"I guess you're probably right," said Dolly. "I was only really sure last night to be honest. As soon as the wine touched my lips it just felt wrong. I know that sounds ridiculous..."

"Not at all," replied Eloise.

"And then when I woke up feeling so rough this morning I guess I knew."

"Have you done a test?"

Dolly shook her head. Eloise reached into her handbag and withdrew a narrow blue box, as Dolly's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't believe how many kits I got through before I fell pregnant with Luke," she said. "And they came in packs of two."

"I thought it had to be the first pee of the day," said Dolly. Eloise rolled her eyes.

"Quit stalling and get in there," she replied. Dolly got up and then paused.

"Where's Mark?" she asked.

"Downstairs. Don't worry, Luke will be keeping him entertained."

"If I am... I don't want him to know yet," said Dolly. "Not until after the court case is finished. I'd rather we got through one drama at a time."

Eloise grimaced at Dolly's choice of words, but then nodded.

"Fine. I won't say anything anyway. It's your news, not mine."

"There may not be any news," said Dolly, sounding almost hopeful, but Eloise just rolled her eyes again and pointed at the bathroom. Dolly sighed and went in. When she emerged several minutes later, her face was even whiter than before. She simply held the test out to Eloise who looked at it and nodded.

"Thought so," she said, but then fell silent, as Dolly started to sob again. "Oh, sweetheart, come here." She held her arms out and then held Dolly close to her until she was calm again. Dolly got up and went through to the bathroom, wrapping the test in a yard of toilet paper and then shoving it into the pedal bin. She took a few deep breaths, splashed some water one her face and then came out again.

"Are you ok, Dolly? Don't you want a baby?"

Dolly was silent for a moment thinking about the question. Did she want a baby? She had never even thought about having a child of her own. Mind you, before Mark, she had never considered entering into a serious relationship; work had been all that mattered. Now she was living with her fiancé who she would be marrying within the week and in just a few months there would be a baby too. Her face blanched at the thought of it and she sank down onto the bed again as her legs gave way beneath her.

"I... I just need time to get used to the idea," she said, eventually. Eloise smiled.

"Are you happy?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," said Dolly, honestly. "I'm not sure either of us is really ready for this."

"No one is ever ready for it," replied Eloise reassuringly. "But if it's any help, Mark is a wonderful uncle and he will make a wonderful father."

"I guess," she replied. Eloise narrowed her eyes.

"Promise me something, Dolly," she said. Dolly looked up and nodded. "Don't make the mistake I did and run out on him. Kane forgave me... Mark is a different kettle of fish. He loves you and you love him. Get through this together, ok? And at the end of it you will have a beautiful family. In fact, I guarantee you that when your child is put into your arms for the first time nothing else will matter."

Dolly was silent, her eyes wandering down to her stomach, as her hands automatically came to rest there. The miracle that there was a child growing inside of her hit her forcibly and a small smile brightened her face for a moment.

"I'm going to be a mom," she said, softly.

"Yes you are," said Eloise, feeling tears stabbing at her own eyes as she looked at the wonderment on her friend's face. "And I know you and Mark will be great parents."

XXX

"How does the jury find the defendant?" The question eased into her mind, forcing all thoughts of the miracle in her stomach from her head, as she focussed on what the outcome would be.

"Guilty on all charges," said the head juror and Dolly sank against Mark's shoulder, relief surging through her. At her other side, her stepfather stiffened as the sentence was read out; fifteen years imprisonment without parole.

They left the courthouse relieved and happy. Dolly watched as Mark went to phone Kane and glanced across at her stepfather.

"Are you coming to the wedding?" she asked. John gave a tight nod.

"I'll see you at the church," he replied and then turned on his heel and walked away. Dolly watched him go, recognising that he was upset about his sister but had no idea how to verbalise that fact and then Adrian appeared at her side.

"Hey honeybee. Ready for the morning? Still staying at my place tonight?"

"Of course," replied Dolly, with a small smile, her eyes still following John's retreating back. Adrian linked arms with her and grinned excitedly.

"Well Vanessa is arriving at eight to do your hair and nails and then the car is picking us up at twelve so that we can arrive fashionably late at twenty past. Oh I'm so excited!" Dolly let his mindless chatter drift over her as she watched Mark approach them. She forced herself not to place a hand on her stomach as she watched him cross the courtyard and mused again on how this man had changed her life. When he reached them, Dolly impulsively grabbed him and kissed him on the lips.

"Wow, what was that for?" he asked, when she finally let him up for air.

"I love you, Mark Callaway and I never want you to forget that," she replied.

XXX

Mark stood stiffly at the altar. He was desperate to turn round and look at his bride, especially as Kane muttered that she looked beautiful. When she finally reached his side, Mark turned to see Dolly in an a-line cream gown, with sparkling jewels across the bodice. Her veil covered her face, held in place with a diamond tiara and he realised he had never seen her look so feminine. As he lifted the veil that hid her from him, he suddenly found himself hoping that this was the last veil between them; much of their relationship had been clouded in secrecy and even deceit on both parts and he was looking forward to a lifetime of openness and love from this point onwards. As they exchanged their vows, all he could wonder at was how this beautiful woman loved him so much that she was prepared to give up her independence for him.

As the marriage service ended and they kissed, Dolly suddenly grabbed Mark's hand and placed it on her stomach. His eyes flashed open and he drew back a little from her face, staring at her. Dolly nodded with a smile.

"You're going to be a daddy, Mark," she murmured. Stunned, he could only stare for a moment, but then he grabbed her up into his arms and span her around, before turning to the watching congregation.

"I'm going to be a daddy!" he announced. They rose as one body, applauding and Dolly saw tears streaming down Adrian's face. But then her eyes found John. He was still in his seat. With his eyes fixed on her, her stepfather slowly got to his feet and she watched as a smile spread across his face and he began to applaud as rapturously as everyone else.

Feeling tears of joy stinging her eyes, Dolly allowed the last of the walls around her heart to collapse, the last of the veils torn away. It seemed for a moment that a figure stood in the doorway of the church, where the sun streamed in through the stained glass window. Her mother waved once and then faded into the light. Dolly lifted her gaze to meet the adoring eyes of her husband and Mark leaned down to kiss her.

"I love you, Mrs Callaway," he murmured.

"I love you too," she replied.


End file.
